The Pretender
by thebigmacattack
Summary: Sequel to The Redeemer. The Chuunin Exams have begun, but the threat of Orochimaru looms. Can Kushina find a way to save Naruto and Konoha from Orochimaru and begin atoning for her failures 12 years ago? Despite what the character list says, Kushina is the main POV, with Sasuke as secondary POV.
1. On The Road

All right, new fic time, and the first sequel to anything I've ever written. Sounds fun, right?

**Disclaimer**: The following is a not-for-profit fanfiction. I own nothing except my own original characters. Masashi Kishimoto, Studio Pierrot, etc., own the rights to all Naruto characters.

First, in the event you don't want to read over The Redeemer, please read the summary below. Following the summary is Chapter One.

* * *

**Summary:** Kushina Uzumaki survived the night of Naruto's birth through (mostly) unknown circumstances, all that is clear is that Minato saved her, that the leader of the enemy conspiracy had partners, and Minato died of his injuries in Kushina's arms. Kushina lost control over the Nine-Tailed Fox that night, at first rampaging with the intention to save her captured baby, but after losing conscious control over the Nine-Tails she wound up attacking Konoha instead, killing ten and wounding ninety-eight others, many of them seriously. After being snapped out of it by Mikoto, Kushina, ashamed over what she had done and feeling Naruto did not deserve to be raised by her, chose to flee Konoha.

Eight years later, Kushina was discovered by a small team consisting of Mikoto, Tsume, and Might Guy. Told of Naruto's problems in the village and that she was needed, Kushina returned home to Konoha the night of the Uchiha Clan Massacre. Forced to kill a ninja that night, Kushina nevertheless manages to save both Mikoto and Sasuke's lives. She is reunited with Naruto, and discovers that for the last three years he's been cared for by a young chuunin named Anko Mitarashi.

Four years pass. The tragedy Kushina inflicted upon Konoha begins lifting its ugly head as one of Naruto's teachers, Mizuki, kidnaps Naruto the day of his graduation from the Academy in revenge for the despair and horrible injuries Kushina had inflicted on Tsubaki, the love of Mizuki's life. Mizuki had intended to have Naruto slowly bleed to death and assassinate Kushina, but the plan is foiled and Kushina, herself still mentally agonizing over what she did, nearly kills Mizuki and is stopped by Naruto himself. The only silver lining is that the Hokage has granted a now-jonin Anko Mitarashi to train Naruto as a jonin-sensei.

Anko Mitarashi takes charge of Naruto, Sasuke Uchiha, and Hinata Hyuga, the latter being a last-minute switch from Sakura Haruno, whose own issues with Kushina had become known to the Hokage. Kushina is confronted by Sakura, who admits her deep loathing for Kushina for the horrific injuries Kushina had done to her parents, but Sakura admits a crush on Naruto as well. Kushina is given a mission then, to head to the Hidden Waterfall Village to rescue a girl named Fuu who is a jinchuuriki (of the Seven-Tails) much like Kushina herself.

The Hidden Waterfall Village rescue manages to succeed, though Kushina is forced into a violent battle with an organization known as the Akatsuki, her opponent being Hidan, a follower of the appalling Jashin religious cult. Kushina nearly loses control over the Nine-Tails again but is once again brought to her senses by Mikoto. Kushina brings Fuu back to Konoha to keep Fuu safe, as Fuu intends to participate in the Konoha Chuunin Exams later that year.

Soon afterwards, Anko, Naruto, Sasuke and Hinata are assigned to head to the Land of Snow to protect a famous actress named Yukie Fujikaze. It will be a long trip, at least a month, and out of concern for her son who is taking his first C-ranked mission, Kushina opts to take a month-long vacation to follow Anko and the others . . . and is herself followed by Fuu, who out of boredom snuck out of Konoha to adventure with Kushina. Needless to say, Kushina is not pleased but she and the young jinchuuriki of the Seven-Tails manage to bond as they follow Anko's party.

Kushina's concerns are soon validated as Anko's party discovers Yukie's story is a lie. However, they are promptly ambushed by a jonin-sensei named Guren and her genin team (Dosu, Zaku, and Kin) from the Village Hidden in the Sound, who have been hired to kill Yukie. Anko and her genin are able to defeat the Sound ninja on their own, but are ambushed AGAIN by ninja from the Land of Snow led by S-rank jonin Nadare Roga. Kushina, having no choice, steps in and manages to fend the Snow jonin off, with assistance from ninja from the Hidden Grass Village who have been brought to the Land of Snow under similar false pretenses.

Yukie drops her guise and reveals she is Koyuki Kazahana, the rightful heir to the throne of the Land of Snow, and she used her limited budget to pay for two C-ranks as opposed to one B-rank, knowing she would get a pair of jonin as opposed to several chuunin who could not fend off Nadare . . . and Kushina is a bonus. Yukie leads the ninja to a safe house, where the legendary Sannin Jiraiya also meets up with them that night, and Kushina has a bone to pick with Jiraiya over Jiraiya's failure to care for Naruto. Before she can investigate Jiraiya further, Kushina discovers that Naruto has a weakness against killing intent, a weakness that is borderline debilitating. Investigating her son, Kushina discovers that the reason for Naruto's weakness is none other than Anko Mitarashi herself.

Kushina confronts Anko, and Anko explains her past to Kushina, including that she had mentally abused Naruto before having a near-death experience during a mission gone wrong. The near-death experience woke her up and she opted to change her relationship with Naruto, and slowly the two of them began to trust each other and bond closely. However, Anko has not been able to fully heal Naruto from his aversion to killing intent, and she begs Kushina for time to make it right, a request Kushina reluctantly grants. Kushina's trust in Anko is shattered, however, and she begins training Naruto privately in addition to Naruto's usual lessons with Anko, telling Naruto about his father and helping him improve his version of the Chakra Chains technique. A further conversation with Jiraiya reveals that Jiraiya has tried to help both Kushina and Naruto on the sly over the last several years, Jiraiya checking up on Kushina in disguise at least once a year and also administering the wake-up call to Anko, also in disguise.

The mission has changed to kill Doto Kazahana, the illegitimate ruler of the Land of Snow and Koyuki's uncle. The mission eventually succeeds, Kushina killing Doto with the help of Naruto and a Kusa genin named Ryuuzetsu. However, Doto's death triggers a mechanism in a Land of Snow ruin, revealing a trap far beyond Kushina's capabilities to handle and she, Naruto, and Ryuuzetsu barely escape it. Nadare Roga is dispatched by Anko with assistance from Sasuke. However, Kushina and Koyuki's personal differences prevent a true, everlasting alliance between Snow and the Leaf, and the Grass follow suit. Kushina returns home and is confronted by Sakura yet again, and this time Sakura manipulates Kushina into being thrown into jail, though Kushina is promptly freed and absolved of any crime. Kushina, still feeling guilty over Sakura, does not press charges.

Months pass, and Kushina, Kakashi, and Mikoto soon recover intelligence pinpointing a probable Orochimaru hideout. Dispatched with a larger team, they discover the hideout and enter it, but do not fight Orochimaru. Kushina and Mikoto are separated from the others and discover Kimimaro and Karin, the former provoking a fight. Karin is captured and after a long battle Kimimaro is killed by Kushina. A horrific gas that revives the undead is unleashed, starting what looks like the zombie apocalypse, but unexpected reinforcements arrive from Might Guy and his genin team (along with Fuu acting as a tagalong). They are able to escape the hideout before it self-destructs, killing all of the undead inside. However, a girl named Amaru soon freaks out under the influence of an abominable beast sealed inside her called the Zero-Tails and the Zero-Tails is unleashed upon everyone, barely fended off by Kushina and pursued to a Sky Country ruin close to Orochimaru's hideout.

The Sky Country ruin is lifted into the air, separating Kushina, Mikoto, and Fuu from the others. Kushina and Fuu are forced to confront the Zero-Tails' master, Shinnou, who had been apprenticing Amaru. Shinnou reveals that Sky Country is responsible for much of Konoha's technological advancements after Sky Country was defeated at the end of the Second Shinobi World War, and that Sky Country was defeated by none other than Kushina's predecessor as jinchuuriki, Mito Uzumaki. After a violent battle, Shinnou is eventually defeated by Mikoto, but not before Kushina is forced to witness a vision of Mikoto killing Fugaku Uchiha, Mikoto's own husband, under Itachi's orders.

A final confrontation with an out-of-control Zero-Tails begins, and Kushina is locked into a mental battle with the beast, one Kushina eventually emerges victorious over and Kushina vows to no longer allow the past to dictate her actions or lack thereof. The Zero-Tails is destroyed by an Amaterasu strike by Mikoto, but the party is soon chased out of the Sky Country ruin by the same trap as in the Land of Snow, dozens of giant glowing white hands, all of which eventually destroy the flying ruin. Fuu manages to guide Mikoto and Kushina to a crash-landing, and Kushina has a heart-to-heart with Mikoto, and Kushina privately vows to take care of Itachi, the murderer of the Uchiha and Mikoto's eldest son, for Mikoto's sake.

They return home and Kushina is confronted by Sakura yet again, but this time Sakura gets punched in the face and lectured by Naruto himself. Kushina sets up both a speech to the surviving wounded (and the families of the dead) of the attack twelve years ago, and also meets with Sakura's parents privately, requesting to be their caregiver.

A month passes between then and the Chuunin Exams beginning. Kushina is able to Stockholm Syndrome Karin into spilling what she knows of Orochimaru's plans for the Hidden Leaf, allowing the Hokage to come up with a plan to prevent or at least limit the damage. Anko's team is formally entered into the Exam, and Naruto gets a sneak preview of three of his eventual opponents, Gaara and his older brother and sister. Oh, and Anko and Kakashi start up a romantic relationship too.

* * *

NOTE: In case it isn't obvious from the above, Sasuke Uchiha's and Anko Mitarashi's personalities have undergone dramatic transformations compared to the canon. Sasuke was never tortured by Itachi, so he is not the angry young man he was early in the canon. Anko's experiences with Naruto caused her personality to become significantly friendlier and kinder, as well as a bit more responsible, responsible enough to be trusted as a jonin-sensei.

* * *

**Chapter One: On The Road**

_Sasuke Uchiha_

Mother has good mornings and bad mornings. Good mornings are when I come downstairs and she greets me with a smile and asks me what I'm doing today. Bad mornings are when she's sitting down in a chair, her dark eyes staring into space, and she barely even acknowledges me even if I try to get her attention. There's no indication which morning I will be facing when I see her, all I know is that she'll be awake. She goes to bed after I do and wakes up before I do, and that never changes.

When I come downstairs, Mother looks at me and smiles. This will be a _good_ morning then. "Sasuke, I've already made your breakfast. You need to eat and then head over to the school to submit your application. I trust you've already filled it out."

"Yes, I did." Three days ago, Anko-sensei gave my teammates and I these application forms. The form looks simple at first, but when you get to the fine print it's rather frightening. Basically, the Exam proctors are absolved of any injuries, mental trauma, or even your very death . . . unless the proctors administer it _personally_, that is. That's a different issue.

The fine print also bars anyone over the age of twenty-five from participating in the Exam as well, which would be a relief except that still allows people literally twice my age to give it one more shot. I hope that the only people twenty-four years old are washed-up genin who are giving it one more go just for kicks. If there's someone that old who actually means it, I don't stand a chance in hell.

Mother nods. "Excellent, Sasuke. I'm proud of you. You're on your way to becoming a young man now."

"I hope so, Mother." I sit down and begin eating my meal when I notice Mother doesn't have any food at all.

"Um, Mom, aren't you hungry?"

"No, I'm not. I don't have an appetite right now." Normally, that would be the sign of a _bad_ morning, but Mother is still acting like everything's okay. Maybe she really _is_ having a bad morning and she's just trying to hide it from me.

"Mother, seriously-"

"Sasuke, please don't be concerned about me. The people you should be concerned with are your teammates and yourself today. You're not just submitting your application today, you are immediately thrown into the first stage of the exam as well."

Perhaps _that's_ why Mother's having a bad morning. Maybe she didn't have another nightmare about Itachi this time. She's just worried about _me_. The Chuunin Exams _always_ get at least one person killed every year, usually more than that. That's not including how many people get maimed or crippled for life either. That's what happens when you throw genin, the junior-level ninja, not all of whom know what they are doing, and hurl them against each other in basically supervised war.

Thinking about this makes me lose my own appetite, but I keep eating anyway. I need the food. It's going to keep me going today regardless of what I wind up against.

Especially that guy with the gourd on his back, Gaara. He snuck up on _all_ of us yesterday, including Naruto, me, Sakura, and, finally, his _own teammates_. I'm not even sure if Anko-sensei is that good.

If he's representative of what I'm up against, I'm in for a world of hurt later today.

"Thanks for the warning, Mother," I say. "So the first stage of the Exam is basically taken at the school, right?"

"I cannot say. You're turning your application there but the first stage of the Exam could be held anywhere, Sasuke. The Exams' format changes every time. Konoha has never run their turn at the Exams the same way twice."

Thanks, Mother. That makes me feel better. Not really. "I understand."

Mother looks at me sadly. "I'm sorry I can't give you advice. But it's the truth. The format changes every time, Sasuke. It's to keep genin, especially those who are making a repeated attempt, on their toes so they can't just coast their way into the final round. Any information I can give you is guesswork at best."

It's not just that. I can tell, Mother. You've been staring at me a lot lately. It's like you know something that I don't.

But I know you won't tell me. You suppress it all inside you. It hurts to see you like this, clearly hurting but you won't let it out, not even to me.

Are you ashamed, Mother? Ashamed of what Itachi did to the clan? Ashamed you couldn't stop it? Or is it something beyond that?

I want to know, Mother, even if I regret it. Just so I understand what keeps you silent and cut off from everyone else.

"Sasuke, please. The deadline to turn your application in is three o'clock. You should get there as soon as possible."

There. One piece of advice Mother's giving me. She's giving it to me vaguely, so thin it's hardly noticeable, but there's something of substance in there.

You would think that since it's eight in the morning I wouldn't have to rush to get the application turned in at three in the afternoon. But what if something happens to delay the application? Who knows how many people are trying to qualify today? If there's too many, they'd have to screen the applicants first somehow, wouldn't they? Just to make sure only those capable of taking the exam make it through.

There's a test before the test. Mother's not going to say what it is or what form, not only because it is 'guesswork' but also because it would give me an unfair advantage. I am sure Mother's stuck her neck out pretty far for me already by dropping the hint that I should get there early.

I hope Naruto and Hinata get the message too. Hinata I am sure has figured it out, but Naruto . . . I don't know. Naruto can be insightful on some things and suicidally dense on others. I have the feeling something like this would be something Naruto would have no idea about, not without being clued into it pretty blatantly.

Hmm . . . "I'll let my teammates know this, Mother. It's best we all get there as soon as possible, not just me."

Mother nods. "Excellent, Sasuke. Good idea."

I get it. Because I figured it out, I can tell Naruto and Hinata this without it technically be cheating. That way we're all ready for the long lines or the screening or whatever it is we're up against.  
T  
his is how we're going to pass the exam. We all need to notice these little clues inserted into conversation, and see through any deception they throw at us.

Time to shovel the food down and go. I can't waste any more time. Hinata, I think I can trust to know this somehow, she has other Hyuga clan members taking the Exam and she'll follow their lead. Naruto is the one I need to give priority to. I am sure his mother's throwing him from his bed any second now because she knows the same thing Mother does.

Hurry, hurry, hurry. Who knows what's going to happen today.

As I finish Mother's typically spicy concoction, though, I see her staring at me again just for a second before she looks away and gets up. "I hope you do well, Sasuke. I hope to see you've passed and will be ready to attempt the second stage of the Exam."

"I hope to tell you this, Mother," I reply.

"I hope you will, too." There's a dark undercurrent there, clearly because people get killed in these things.

"No matter what happens, I'll tell you exactly what happened in the Exam, Mother," I say. "Promise."

Mother smiles. "Thank you, Sasuke. This makes me feel a little better."

I'm not so sure she's telling the truth, but I can't argue with her on this. She's given me the one piece of advice I'm sure she can give me. Continuing to talk with Mother is just going to delay me further and any second wasted could cost me a shot just to get my application turned in.

"Bye, Mother. I'll see you soon."

"I'll see you later too, Sasuke."

I race towards the door and run out into the road.

* * *

Unfortunately, I was right about Naruto. He wanted to sleep in and his mother was basically on the verge of literally ejecting him from the house when the door opens in front of my face and Naruto walks out onto the front step.

Ms. Uzumaki is right behind him. "Naruto, I don't know how much clear I can make this! You need to leave _now_!"

"Mom, it's eight-thirty in the morning? Why do I oughta-"

"Naruto, trust me on this. Just turn it in early, okay? I know what I'm talking about."

"Argh, fine, Mom."

She smiles at Naruto. "Just be careful today, all right?"

"I will, Mom. Believe it."

"I will, Naruto. See you later."

She closes the door then, and Naruto spins back around to see me. "Gah! Sasuke, whaddya doin' here?"  
"I came over to make sure you were getting out the door as soon as possible, but I see your mother made sure of that."

"Great, so you gotta play 'Mom' too," Naruto groans. "She was _really_ pushy with getting me out of bed today. I know she's gotta have a reason for it, but she wouldn't tell me what it is."

"You ever thought about how many people could be trying for the Exam today? Or whether they'd screen the applicants first?" I ask.

Naruto blinks. "No."

"That's why it's probably best we get there way before the deadline," I say. "That way we get there before a line and we get through all of the screening right away and we can just relax until the first stage of the Exam begins."

"Crap! That actually makes sense!" Naruto folds his arms and looks back towards the door. "Why wouldn't Mom just tell me that, though?"

"We're supposed to be 'young men', remember? We're supposed to figure this out for ourselves," I reply.

Naruto just sighs. "All right, all right. Lead on, oh master pretty boy."

Not this again. "Don't call me 'pretty boy'."

"Let's just go. At this point, I just want to get this screening-whatever-crap over with. I'm gonna be Hokage, and this exam isn't gonna stop me!"

Naruto and his obsession with becoming Hokage. I don't think he's ever going to outgrow it. But maybe it's a good thing. That determination may be what keeps all of us alive in this exam.

Or gets us all killed. I don't know which.

For better or worse, it is what it is.

But I'd much prefer staying alive.

* * *

Hinata's already there when Naruto and I show up. "Naruto . . . Sasuke. I was hoping you'd be here."

"Heck yeah!" Naruto exclaims. "Like heck I'm not gonna show up bright and early to turn in a form! Believe it!"

Naruto, just . . . just don't.

Hinata seems to blush a little and she giggles softly. "Thank you, Naruto. It feels a lot better to take the exam with you."

"Heh heh." Great, now Naruto's blushing too. Just what we need during the Exam, a girl's who had a deep crush on Naruto for forever and it seems to have gotten stronger, and now Naruto's getting a crush too. We can't have awkwardness like this during the exam.

I look towards the doors. "We're supposed to head towards Room 301. That's on the third floor. We've got some walking to do . . . and it looks like we've already got a crowd forming."

"Aw, man! Don't tell me everybody else got the same bright 'n' early idea we did!" Naruto whines.

I look past Naruto. "Looks like it's gonna get even worse. I see all of the Kusa ninja coming this way. We better get in and fast unless we want to wait behind the entire Hidden Grass Village."

"Hidden Grass Village?" Naruto walks past me and scans the crowd. "I wonder if Ryuuzetsu and her pals are in there somewhere. She promised us she'd be here."

I remember Ryuuzetsu. It's been a few months but I remember that conversation she had with Naruto and me pretty clearly. She _did_ promise to see us again in the Exams. I don't see her, though. The Kusa contingent doesn't look particularly big but they're surrounded by a _ton_ of Konoha applicants, many of whom are probably not going to pass the screenings.

"We can't talk with them right now, Naruto," I say. "I'm sure we'll see them in Room 301, Ryuuzetsu at least is good enough to make it in there. We can talk then."

"Naruto, Sasuke's right," Hinata says softly.

"Aw, man! Fine, you guys win," Naruto says.

I hear echoes of Fuu chanting 'Naruto and Ryuuzetsu, sittin' in a tree' right now. Speaking of Fuu, I bet she's here too, somewhere. Unless she's snoozing away right now, she's like Naruto that way. Not exactly a morning person.

"Come on, before that big crowd swarms the doors," I say, and I lead Naruto and Hinata through the doors and into the building.

Time to get started.

* * *

This school seems to have been transformed into a maze. I swear that's what it has become. A colossal maze, filled with traps and illusions. It's taking all of my skill to look past all of the dead ends and illusions and keep Naruto and Hinata with me as we walk through the building.

Naruto is moaning. "We've been walkin' for two hours now. I don't remember the school being this confusin' before."

"There's genjutsu everywhere, and the people trying to help us don't seem to be helping us," Hinata says.

"That's why we're not taking advice from them anymore," I reply. "They're deceiving us. They're making sure everybody's walking around in circles. And considering how crowded it is, they got _everybody_ doing it."

"You think we're on the second floor or the third floor?" Naruto asks. "I don't know anymore. All I remember is a flight of stairs."

"I think second floor," I say. "All the signs say we're on the third floor though."

"Argh, my brain hurts," Naruto moans.

When we got in, the place was packed with people. Since what I think was _one_ flight of stairs, the ranks have thinned a bit. Definitely seems to imply some type of screening at work. And it's getting frustrating to work through it. It's not just a test to discern illusions, it's a test of our patience, too. How much of this are we going to put up with until we quit?

There seems to be a cluster of people hanging out at a sign that _seems_ to be Room 301. And definitely sounds like there's a fight up ahead. I can hear some _thumps_ and a people shouting and grunting.

No wait. There _is_ a fight. I see a guy dressed in green getting his ass handed to him by another kid with bandages all over him.

Great. So the genin here are getting so antsy they're starting to fight among themselves. I am sure that's also part of the plan, as time continues to elapse and stress continues to rise, that the genin will start knocking themselves out of the running. Considering that Naruto, Hinata, and I are among the youngest here, it's even more important we can't get separated. We could be seen as easy marks.

The kid with bandages all over him snorts like he's trying to suppress laughter. "Please! You want to take the Chuunin Exams but you can't ever get past _us_?"

He's got a buddy with him, a dude in black with a violet vest, and his forehead protector is more like a full-fledged bandanna. He also looks amused. "We're doing ya kids a favor here! Give up before you get hurt!"

"Hey!" shouts a girl in a pink shirt as she tries to support the bowl-cut kid in green. "We're just trying to get inside Room 301! That's where we need to take the exam!"

She marches right up to them but the teen in black punches her right in the face and she's knocked to the ground.

The crowd's starting to tustle with each other. I don't know if people here want to fight the genin blocking the door or fight among themselves.

Something is wrong. It's almost as if . . .

No. I see it.

I can see the genjutsu! The door they're blocking is _not_ Room 301! It's Room _201_! And those kids . . . they are _not_ kids. They're under a transformation technique. They're plants, just like the people giving advice and directions to the other genin!

But just because I can see through it doesn't mean it's been dispelled. With things about to get violent, I have to dispel it or we're going to have a riot in this hallway.

That means getting involved.

"Naruto, Hinata," I say. "Back me up. Those 'genin' are using a genjutsu to fool everyone. If those 'genin' try something I need you guys to help me."

"Why're you placing so much emphasis on 'genin'?" Naruto asks.

"Isn't it obvious? They're _not_ genin," I reply.

"Ohh," Naruto says. Then his eyes widen. "Holy crap you don't mean they're-"

"Naruto, don't say it." I work my way through the crowd, hoping Naruto can keep his mouth shut. If it's revealed that these guys are plants, that might just make the violence even worse, because that could just piss people off. It's best that the illusion is removed without these guys' covers being compromised.

There. Now I'm at the front. "Enough of this! Don't you guys have anything better to do, like registering for the exam?" The guy with the bandages does that weird snorting sound again. "What's your problem, kid? We're just thinning out the herd."

The guy in black and lavender chuckles. "People die in this exam. Others are crippled for life, and some even go crazy. I'm serious, this is our third attempt at the exam here. You should be thankful we're providing this service!"

"How about you get rid of the genjutsu you have cast on us?" I ask. "I'll accept _that_ as a service."

The guy with the bandages smiles. "Oh, so you noticed. Real child prodigy we have here."

"You thinkin' what I'm thinking?" His buddy asks.

Yeah. Let's put him in his place!"

"How about you both _shut up_!" I know that voice! I hear it in my nightmares, especially after yesterday afternoon! Not her! Not Sakura Haruno!

She comes blasting out of the crowd and _wallops_ the guy with the bandages right through the door.

The genjutsu is immediately removed, and the sign transforms to read _201_.

Sakura turns towards the other guy and cracks her knuckles. "I have spent the last three hours of my life wandering through this dump! I will not spend _another_ minute falling for your tricks! Now step aside and let us through or you get the same treatment as your friend!"

For his part, the guy in lavender and black holds up his hands. "All right, you kiddies win! But you guys have a long way to go yet!"

He vanishes into the ground, and the guy in the bandages just lies there, apparently unconscious. But his form is still being maintained. Either he's pretending to be unconscious or I was completely off in my thoery as to who those genin really were.

Sakura growls something and then turns around. "Hey Kiba! Shino! I plowed the road, now where the hell are you guys?"

She vanishes into the crowd then, and everyone's lost in their own conversations. They're all surprised at what just happened, and it's like a lot of the violent attitudes are gone now. Sakura deflated the room with a single punch.

"Come on. Let's go," I say to Naruto and Hinata. I lead them down the hallway and towards what looks like a staircase. The bowl-cut guy is looking at me though, and I'm not sure I like that. He seems _very_ curious about me.

No. I'm not gonna worry about it. Sakura did us all a favor by doing that. No one's going to forget a pink-haired girl just decked a guy who with his buddy was fooling half the floor. She's the one with the target painted on her back now. She better be careful or she's going to get a lot of fights.

Maybe that's her intention. Maybe she _wants_ to fight. I don't really know.

Hinata speaks up, her voice is nervous. "Has anyone noticed none of our sensei are around?"

"Yeah, what gives? I thought Anko was gonna wish us good luck or something but I haven't seen her anywhere," Naruto says.

"It's part of the game they're playing with us I bet," I reply. "Our sensei isn't allowed to help us at all. We need to figure things out on our own."

We make it to a corner, and I see the sign clearly pointing to the third floor. It's clearly not a genjutsu. This is real. We're almost there.

"Come on," I say. "We need to go up these stairs to the third floor. We're almost there and it's only a little past eleven. We're gonna make it."

Naruto smiles. "That's the spirit, pretty boy."

"Please stop calling me that." At least Naruto and Hinata aren't arguing with me. On one hand, it's nice to be accepted as the leader, on the other, if I screw up I screw all of them over too. I better hope I keep on being right about things or this is gonna get ugly.

I look up the stairs. "I don't remember the stairway going so high."

"Think it's another genjutsu?" Naruto asks.

"Very likely." I focus my eyes, and the stairs seem to shrink and re-focus.

"There we go. Follow me, this was nothing compared to what those guys were pulling back there," I reply.

Naruto chuckles. "Sakura's creepy as hell but I admit that was pretty cool what she did there. Those guys deserved a punch to the face."

I agree, Naruto. I'm not sure they deserved _Sakura's_ version of a punch to the face, however. Sakura's punch was far more vicious than anything they did to the bowl-cut boy and the girl in the pink shirt.

We reach the top of the stairs, and when I open the door, the third floor isn't as I remember it. In fact, it looks like it's been transformed into a maze.

More genjutsu tricks, or perhaps someone did a really thorough construction job last minute. Not everything about the new layout is an illusion, I can see that much.

"What's the plan?" Hinata asks softly.

"Just follow me," I reply. "Follow me and let me break through the genjutsu, and you and Naruto back me up if there's any _physical_ tricks up their sleeves. I don't think we're done being screened yet."

"How much more do they want to see?" Naruto growls. "We've already made it through two floors of their tricks."

"I guess two floors wasn't good enough for them," I reply. "Now let's go, and be careful. I don't expect anything lethal but you never know what they could throw at us next."

"Joy," Naruto growls, but he says nothing more.

We continue on.

* * *

"If someone tries to mimic Anko on us again," Naruto snarls, "I'm beating his or her ass. Believe it."

This is not confident Naruto here. This is Naruto about to blow up. I've rarely seen Naruto absolutely furious but after what we just went through Naruto is on the verge of exploding.

The last obstacle was a female chuunin pretending to be our sensei. She had said some cruel things towards us, saying that we had disappointed her in failing to register already and we should drop out before we embarrass ourselves any further. Naruto demanded that 'Anko' join him in the 'soul siblings' chant they share and 'Anko' had no clue what Naruto was talking about. Naruto promptly declared 'Anko' to be a fake, and the female chuunin let down the transformation technique . . . only for Naruto to attempt to punch her in the stomach. _Attempted_because both Hinata and I both grabbed Naruto and dragged him away from her. Attacking a proctor would likely get us disqualified, and I bet she's capable of kicking our asses anyway.

"Naruto," Hinata says softly. "Please don't talk like that."

"Hinata, I've had enough of their tricks," Naruto growls. "Especially that last one. If she had pretended to be my mom instead, I _would_ have hit her, damn what happens next. There's some things you don't do and pretending to be Anko is one of them."

"I see," Hinata replies, looking down.

Naruto looks over at Hinata. "I'm not tryin' to hurt your feelings here, 'kay? Sorry. She just got on my nerves, that's all."

"It's okay, Naruto," Hinata replies.

It's not okay, Hinata. It feels like we're getting no closer to the 's a dojo for some reason in the third floor, a dojo that didn't previously exist, and Naruto, Hinata, and I saw some frustrated genin pulverize each other. It seemed the winner and his teammates would be allowed to 'go on', but the loser and his team was finished. It was quickly decided that we should avoid the dojo if possible and try to find another way to the third floor rather than waste time or energy trying to fight our way through a gauntlet.

It doesn't help that we haven't seen any of the 'winners' again. In fact, if my intuition is correct, all that's happened is that the 'winners' walked right outside and fell two stories to the ground. They would have to start all over, if they hadn't broken their legs or something first. Considering it's noon already, and many of us have been going at it since nine in the morning, that's a _steep_ penalty.

So yeah, you can 'go on', but all that's gonna happen is that you're going nowhere. Clearly fighting isn't going to solve our problems.

There are _far_ fewer genin on the third floor than on the second floor, though Sakura's squad is among them, I spotted them for a split second. Despite many of the genin witnessing Sakura and I break that genjutsu, none of them have made it onto the third floor that I can tell. Obviously Sakura's team passed and so did mine but everybody else wasn't gonna get off that easy. They found a way to block the others while letting Sakura and me go through along with our teams.

"I don't remember this building being so big," Naruto moans finally. He's sick and tired of this, it's sapped away even his anger at dealing with a fake Anko-sensei.

"They've changed it for the exam," Hinata replies. "It's probably so we don't know where everything is."  
"How can they change the layout of the school so quick, though?" Naruto groans. "Do they have some guy who can manipulate wood or something?"

"It wouldn't surprise me if that's true," I reply.

That's when we make it to a thin corridor, and it's a straight line to the next door. There's windows to our left, allowing us to see the exterior of Konoha. That was something that we haven't had throughout our entire journey here. Does that mean we're finally on the right track?

"I think we might have made it," I say. "Follow me, but keep an eye out. They may have one final trick up their sleeves."

"You got it," Naruto says, and we start walking forward. But it isn't long before I see Anko-sensei emerge from a door to the right, literally right before the door before us.

"Hi, guys," Anko-sensei says, smiling broadly. "I knew you'd make it here eventually."

"You're the _real_ Anko now, aren't ya?" Naruto asks.

"Anko-_sensei_ for the last time, Naruto. And yeah, it's me. Why wouldn't-oh yeah, that kunoichi _pretending_ to me. I saw that, actually. She's a good mimic besides being an epic buzz-killer," Anko says, her smile getting a bit nervous and goofy-looking.

"Wait, you _saw_ that?" Naruto asks, stunned.

"Well, yeah. Don't you think that the proctors and sensei don't have ways of watching the genin make it through the school?" Anko-sensei asks.

"Uhh . . ." Naruto looks down.

"It's okay, Naruto," Hinata says.

"Don't worry about it. If someone pretended to be any of you guys I'd want to punch their lights out too," Anko-sensei replies. She walks up to us then, standing in-between Naruto and I. "Congratulations. All three of you made it, with plenty of time to spare. The next room is where the first stage of the exam is being held. Hold onto your forms and when you're told to turn them in, do it."

I feel her hand touch my shoulder and squeeze it softly. I feel stupid but I've never gotten used to Anko-sensei hugging and touching me so casually. "I'm proud of you. All of you. A lot of jonin told me you three wouldn't make it even this far. You guys proved them wrong big time."

"Why would they think that?" I ask.

Her hand leaves my shoulder. "Don't worry about it. It doesn't matter anymore."

She walks a step forward. "You're not the only team who's passed the screening. There's another who's coming this way in a minute and their sensei would like to give them a pep talk too before they go through the doors, so I gotta make this quick."

She turns around back at us. "Remember that you have to see through deception, there's gonna be _tons_ of it being thrown at you. But also keep in mind that they'll be telling the truth too, so you're going to need to tell the lies from the truth. We've . . . we've had some practice at that so hopefully you guys have gotten skilled at it."

Yeah. Both the Land of Snow mission and the emergency Ame mission, both of which went dramatically wrong because of deception. Of course, those weren't Anko-sensei's fault, and she saw through Koyuki Kazahana's deception pretty much right away. But both missions got approved by the Hokage. I hope the Hokage isn't getting senile because there's gonna be a lot of ninja getting killed soon if he is.

"Also," Anko-sensei says, "They only allow teams of three to pass each stage, so you guys take care of each other. Your teammates are the only people you can trust one-hundred-percent. Keep them healthy and safe. Even your fellow Konoha ninja could wind up betraying you or trying to kill you, it's happened before."

She smiles finally. "No matter what happens from this point onward, I'm proud of the three of you. You're rookies and you passed the screening. That says a lot about you guys and your shared potential. I'm looking forward to more missions with you guys, regardless if any of you become chuunin or not."

She sighs. "I'm out of time. You guys get going through the door. But just know that I'm proud to be your sensei. Good luck in there, and I'll see you all soon."

"Thank you, Anko-sensei," I reply.

Naruto looks like he wants to give Anko-sensei a hug and is barely restraining himself. "I'll do good, Anko, I promise!"

Anko-sensei for once doesn't admonish Naruto for forgetting to call her 'sensei'. "I know you will, Naruto. Just go in there."

She looks at Hinata then. "Anything you wish to say to me, Hinata?"

"No . . . other than . . . thank you. For everything," Hinata says softly.

"You're welcome," Anko replies with a grin. "Now go. I'll see you guys later."

"I'll see you later too, Anko!" Naruto runs up to the double doors. "Mind if I lead the way, pretty boy?"

Of course he wants to go first. Then again, why should I stop him? "Yeah, sure. I'm right behind you."

"W-Wait for me, Naruto," Hinata adds.

Hinata and I flank Naruto as he pushes the doors open, and we all walk inside.

We have officially entered the Chuunin Exams.

* * *

Yes, I know. First chapter is a Sasuke POV. I don't have much choice, there's too much going down during the Chuunin Exams to focus on Kushina for all of it. Kushina will eventually seize the "main character" mantle back from Sasuke pretty quickly though.


	2. Trial

I'm putting this chapter up early so when we resume the regular posting days (Tuesdays) next week, we'll dive right into Kushina's POV. This chapter does have subtle changes in it from the canon and is an introductions to some of the different dynamics going on.

* * *

**Chapter Two: Trial**

Crap.

I knew Anko-sensei said we weren't the only ones who has passed the screening, but she had given no indication of how many actually had.

There must be over a hundred genin in here! And many of them look like they're entering their twenties!

"Geez," Naruto says softly. "Look at 'em all. They're bigger than us, stronger than us, and have facial hair."

"Even the women?" Hinata asks softly.

"Wouldn't be surprised if there was a freakshow like that here," Naruto replies, his posture stiffening. "But it doesn't matter. We're still gonna beat them."

Glad to see Naruto's still keeping his confidence. I can already see several of the ninja looking at us, sizing us up. Especially six or seven of the ninja from the Village Hidden in the Rain. They are _definitely_ staring at us.

Something's up with those guys. I don't like it.

In fact, something about this room in general is making me feel like I'm gonna be ambushed any second now. I don't know if-

"_Sasuke_!"

Oh no. That voice! I hear it in my nightmares! It belongs to the _other_ girl I didn't want to bump into!

Her arms are drooping around me from behind. I see those hands, I hear that silly little laugh. It _is_ her!

"Ino?" Hinata asks softly.

Ino Yamanaka ignores Hinata like she ignores everyone when she's fixated on me. "Hiya, Sasuke! I've missed those brooding good looks of yours!"

I have not missed you and your obsession with me, Ino. I ought to ask the Hokage for a restraining order . . . wait, the Leaf Village doesn't have a provision for restraining orders for people under eighteen! Damn it!

Naruto gives Ino a weird look. "Get your arms off of Sasuke, you look stupid."

"Oh yeah?" my stalker snaps. "You seem to have no problem throwing your arms around _someone else_, mama's boy!"

Naruto looks like he's going to have an aneurysm. "Hey! You take that back!"

"Can you two not bellow like idiots?" Another familiar voice. Shikamaru Nara. I turn, Ino still drooped around me, and I see both Shikamaru and his overweight teammate, Choji Akimichi.

"So all three stooges are here," Naruto says.

"Hey! You know what, pipsqueak?" Shikamaru bites his tongue. "Forget it. You're a waste of time."

Shikamaru can be defined pretty easily. He is brilliant but _lazy_. He complains a lot about the most ridiculous things. He doesn't realize how good he has it compared to a lot of the other kids, and he likes nothing more than to try to do the least amount of work possible. I've never liked him.

Choji, for his part, is just munching away on potato chips. He is always trying to shovel more food into his system, I'm amazed his body hasn't exploded yet. Then again, his entire family is the same way. Must be some kind of resistance against overeating, otherwise there's no way any of them would still be alive.

As for Ino . . . one word describes her: _stalker_. I've had nightmares of her lurking in the dark, waiting to jump me like some vampire.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" I know that voice too! Kiba Inuzuka!

I turn and I see his squad too, including the much-feared Sakura Haruno.

"So you guys are here too," Naruto growls.

"Hi, Kiba, hi Shino," Hinata says softly, trying to smile. Kiba and Shino would have been her teammates if Sakura's personality conflict with Naruto's mother hadn't become public knowledge. She tries to be polite and kind to them a lot, as if Hinata thinks she may someday be reassigned to their squad.

"That's right, we're here! The best rookie squad in Konoha, who took out the feared Zabuza-"

Sakura bonks Kiba on the head. "Excuse me? _I_ killed that piece of scum! Don't take credit for it!"

"Stop hitting me!" Kiba groans.

"Stop deserving it," Sakura says, her eyes suggesting she is not amused.

Kiba holds up his hands. "All right, all right. Don't need another psycho moment from ya."

"_Psycho_?" Sakura looks ready to punch Kiba's lights out but Shino steps in, his hands positioned in-between the two of them.

"Enough. Is that clear?" Shino asks, his voice low and controlled.

Sakura growls and she looks away. "Yeah, clear."

Sakura Haruno is perhaps the most feared young ninja in Konoha. Her hand-to-hand combat skills are considered to be second-to-none. And she has a kill of a jonin to her name as well, the famous Zabuza Momochi. It's still a mystery to most of the village how she pulled that off, but the rumors say her sensei, Kurenai Yuhi, caught Zabuza in an illusion, and Zabuza had no idea that Sakura was going to ambush him. Whatever the case, it's one hell of a name for a genin to have killed. I am sure Sakura has a massive target on her back because of that. For that reason, I want to stay away from her during this exam or I'm gonna get caught in the crossfire.

Kiba Inuzuka is the guy who thinks he's the most awesome and coolest person in the room. The thing is that he tries too hard to be cool and awesome. If he'd realize that he's actually have a shot at being who he wants to be. But he seems tone-deaf to that . . . and he's clearly intimidated by his jonin-killer teammate Sakura, which isn't helping. He has a little dog named Akumaru who is always hanging around him, usually perched on the top of his head.

I know nothing about Shino Aburame or his family. They are very secretive. Shino hides his eyes behind sunglasses, even in the dark. He's just a total mystery.

Those six ninja are the other rookie genin of Konoha. Every other Konoha genin here has at least six months' worth of experience on us. Considering how many Konoha headbands I am seeing, that's a lot of genin who want their chuunin promotion already.

I manage to shake my stalker's arms off of me long enough to stand by Naruto and Hinata. My stalker groans as she sees me do that, but she doesn't want to go near Naruto and Hinata apparently. That works for me.

More ninja pass through the doors behind us. Nobody I know. I scan the floor, looking for anyone else I recognize but I don't see anyone . . . besides the bowl-cut kid and the girl in the pink shirt . . . who are sitting next to Neji Hyuga, who I _do_ know.

Great, so he's here too. I should've expected as much. In fact, there's a _lot_ of Hyuga here. Knowing first-hand of what Hyuga can do to me, it's going to be really difficult to pass this exam without encountering them. I'm not looking forward to it, Neji basically made an idiot out of me a few days ago. I didn't even have the chance to activate my Sharingan so I could learn and memorize his movements, a mistake I will not make again with any Hyuga.

I don't see Fuu or Ryuuzetsu. There's a chance Fuu could be sitting up front, I can't see the front rows at all, but Ryuuzetsu is pretty tall. I wonder if she hasn't passed yet. She _does_ have those inexperienced, young genin with her that she has to lead along. Those kids, Tadashi and Sango, they look younger than _me_. Can't be older than ten or eleven. Ryuuzetsu probably has her hands full just keeping them from being victimized.

Unless, of course, Tadashi and Sango are more powerful than I think. They _did_ survive that Land of Snow battle, after all. In fact Ryuuzetsu, the most experienced genin by far, was the most seriously injured among them. And their sensei couldn't have kept them perfectly insulated from that colossal battle either, I don't think.

Oh great, speaking of the Land of Snow, I see the Sound ninja hanging around too. Dosu, Zaku, and Kin, except their bodies aren't as covered up since they aren't in below-freezing weather. Dosu's one visible eye gazes at me and we stare at each other, just for a second, before Dosu looks away. He knows I'm here too.

This is going to be _really_ interesting.

Oh great, what is everyone arguing about next to me?

"Will you people _stop_ calling me a 'mama's boy'?" Naruto growls.

"That's kinda what you are, dude," Kiba laughs. "You hug and kiss your mom in _public_. Who does that?"

"Take that back," Naruto says. He's pissed, I can hear it in his voice. Kiba is trudging on some seriously personal ground here.

"Look, this whole argument is just a drag," Shikamaru says. "It's getting us nowhere. I don't give a crap what Naruto does with his mom, it's none of our business."

"It makes his face turn an entertaining shade of red, though," my stalker giggles.

Naruto just looks down. And not from shame or defeat. I know that look. It's a look Naruto picked up from Anko-sensei. It's a look of someone about to blow.

I better step in before things get ugly. "Look, don't we have anything better to do than to tease each other? We're going to be taking an exam soon. Wouldn't we be better off discussing strategy or forming an alliance so at least one of our teams can make it to the final round?"

"The dark-haired kid has a point," says a new, older voice. Somebody's voice I do not recognize.

I turn and then I see him. A taller shinobi with silver hair tied back and friendly dark eyes behind glasses. He looks eighteen, nineteen years old. Looks almost nerdy. _Too_ nerdy for my liking.

"The nine of you should keep it down. I know you're only rookies, fresh out of the academy, but this isn't a class field trip. Cool off and find a seat somewhere because you're making spectacles of yourselves."

"Who asked you?" Ino asks, her voice skeptical and hostile. "Who are you for that matter?"

"My name is Kabuto Yakushi," the glasses-wearing shinobi replies. "And really, look around you. You've made _quite_ an impression."

As I turn towards where the other ninja are, it becomes obvious that _all_ of us are being stared at. And none of them look thrilled about us at all. Most just look like they want to stomp us flat, and others seem to be outright leering, like they want to play with us before putting us out of our misery.

"Every ninja in this room is _very_ touchy right now," Kabuto says. "Almost everyone in this room has taken the Exam before. They are aware of the challenges and the dangers and you nine are coming off as pretentious and oblivious. I have seen rookies get themselves killed before the formal start to the Exam because of a veteran getting sick of their antics. I'd rather that not happen to you nine."

As much as I don't want to trust a complete stranger like Kabuto, he's got a point. And what he's saying doesn't surprise me either. The looks in a lot of these people's eyes suggest they've killed before. Some may not even find it a big deal.

"I mean, how could you know how things work? You're just rookies. You remind me of myself a while back when I first started."

Sakura scoffs. "Kabuto, right? You've taken the exam before? You look just as fresh out of the Academy as we do."

Kabuto shakes his head. "Actually, I _have_ taken it before. Many times, actually. This will be my seventh attempt. The Exams are held twice a year, so this will be my fourth year, my second try in Konoha."

Sakura chuckles. "Why the hell should we listen to you, then? You're clearly a screw-up. Why else would you fail so many times?"

Kabuto scratches the back of his head and gives us a nervous grin. "Well, seventh time's the charm, right? Besides, maybe I can help you kids out a little."

"Oh, this is gonna be a drag, listening to this loser ramble on," Shikamaru groans.

Kabuto's nervous look is gone. He looks surprisingly confident, actually. "I've made it as far as the final round. I'm not as incompetent as you may think, _Shikamaru Nara_."

"You know my name?" Shikamaru asks, his eyes widening.

"I have my ways. Wanna see how I store my information?" Kabuto asks as he bends down to his knees, pulling out a deck of cards.

The door opens from behind Kabuto then, and I hear a familiar voice. "Actually, they'd rather not, _Kabuto Yakushi_."

"Huh?" Before Kabuto can do much more than turn his neck, a green-and-grey blur charges from the door and stops directly behind him, a dark-skinned hand around his chin, and the other, left, hand wielding a kunai aimed directly at his throat.

"Oh crap!" Ino shouts.

"What just happened?" Kiba explained.

"Ryuuzetsu!" Naruto gasps.

"Finally," Ryuuzetsu says. Her voice is harsh, harsher than I have ever heard it before. "We meet again, Kabuto."

Kabuto tries to smile nervously. "Y-You've gotten better."

"You have no idea. I could've killed you just now, but I'd be thrown out of the exam if I did that. We haven't been permitted to use lethal force yet," Ryuuzetsu growls. "Besides, I made a promise to one of the genin who've been listening to your wolf-in-sheep's clothing act. I promised him that I'd participate in this exam and try to become chuunin, and I ain't breaking it."

She releases him, and Kabuto gasps for breath, his face leaning so far forward that his glasses fall off and hit the ground.

"That's a sneak preview of what I'm gonna do to you, Kabuto," Ryuuzetsu growls. "My teammates will be avenged. But I'll wait until the go-ahead is given for lethal force before I gut you like a fish. My promises come before vengeance, and you should be thankful for that. Maybe you have a slim chance of escaping justice again this way."

She spins her kunai and places it back into her holster. "Don't you dare quit this time, Kabuto. If you do, there'll be nowhere in Konoha or the entire world you'll be able to hide from me. Nowhere at all."

"Can someone tell me what the hell's going on?" Ino asks.

"Kabuto just got humiliated by someone better than he is," Sakura says knowingly. "That's what just happened."

"Get lost," Ryuuzetsu hisses.

Kabuto turns towards Ryuuzetsu, and the two seem to lock eyes for a moment. I can't tell what Kabuto's facial expression is, but at some point he just looks away and walks back into the crowd, his body trembling.

Ryuuzetsu finally relaxes. "Tadashi! Sango! You can come in now!"

Ryuuzetsu's two significantly younger teammates file into the room. Their appearances haven't changed much. Tadashi Obata's still pale-looking with sky blue eyes and his brown hair basically a buzz cut. Sango Saijima's dark hair is still long, her purple eyes still wary and nervous-looking, and her skin is just as brown as Ryuuzetsu's.

"Geez, what the heck were you doing to that guy?" asks Tadashi.

"You two look like little kids!" Shikamaru exclaims

"Yes! No longer the youngest in the room!" Choji yells in triumph.

"Hey!" Sango snaps, but Ryuuzetsu steps in front of both her and Tadashi.

"The Village Hidden in the Grass is a small nation. We don't have enough students to have every team member be the same age. It's common to have one of the genin be significantly older and more experienced to help the other genin along," Ryuuzetsu replies. "This is Tadashi Obata and Sango Saijima, my teammates. My name is Ryuuzetsu Isayama, and I am a friend of Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Hinata Hyuga. We met in the Land of Snow."

"Are you trying to say we can trust you?" my stalker asks suspiciously.

"It's largely up to you. But take this to heart . . . do _not_ trust Kabuto Yakushi. He's a wolf in sheep's clothing, and a total rookie crusher. Befriends the promising rookies, but always betrays and crushes them. He did that to my team during my first attempt at the exam," Ryuuzetsu replies.

"You're kidding," Shikamaru says.

"I'm not," Ryuuzetsu replies. "Kabuto and his team murdered my teammates during the second round of my first Exam. They died in my arms. And Kabuto had the audacity to _quit_ right before the third round that year, even though he was perfectly healthy. He does that. He always quits right before the end, making a joke of the Exams and everyone who participates in it."

Ryuuzetsu's hands have clenched into fists, and she forces them to open and relax. "My second attempt at the exam was last year. I tried to kill Kabuto. All that happened is that I was badly injured in the process, and Kabuto quit again. My team actually made it to the final round, but there were too many genin who passed the second round that year. They had to hold preliminaries, and I was too badly hurt to stand a chance. My teammates that year became chuunin. I was left behind."

She looks at us. The odd symbol in her grey eyes seems to be starker than it was before. "I do not want that to happen to anyone else again. If you have any questions about the Exams, please ask them to me, this will be my third try so I know the generalities just like Kabuto. And I will not betray you. Grass is a firm ally of the Leaf and I have three friends among you."

Kiba stares at Naruto, and then at me, and then marches over to me. He whispers into my ear. "How the hell do you know a hottie like her?"

"Circumstance," I reply.

"Heh," Naruto chuckles. He looks at everyone else as he talks. "She's good for it, I promise. She helped me out big time in the Land of Snow."

"She helped us all out," Hinata says softly, without much conviction. She seems almost embarrassed for some reason. I wonder why.

"Huh," Sakura says. "Well, considering what she just did to Mr. Seven-Timer over there I would say she's a better source of advice than he is."

"She _did_ make that Kabuto guy look stupid," Kiba replies.

That's when I feel a dark wave suddenly coat the room. Hatred, killing intent, lots of it. It actually makes Sango and Tadashi cry out and cower a bit behind their older teammate.

"What the hell was that?" my stalker asks.

"I see I've really pissed Kabuto off," Ryuuzetsu says. Even she is fazed, I can see the stress on her face despite her strong front. "That's who he is, what you're sensing right now. That's his true self. A snake in the grass, a wolf in sheep's clothing, whatever metaphor you want to use, he fits it."

Naruto's shaking. He's been better about killing intent lately but this is still a bit much for him. Hinata's not much better. Then again everyone else is shaking, even Shikamaru who normally is unfazed by _everything_. We're all the same, intimidated rookies.

"This is gonna suck," Shikamaru says. "How many people like this guy are there?"

Kabuto's silent temper tantrum even have the veterans on edge. Many of them look nervous and fearful, their hands slowly edging towards their weapons. A fight could break out at any second, and we could get caught up in it if we're not careful.

"There's gotta be a lot," Sango says softly.

"Don't panic," Ryuuzetsu says, I can't tell if she's talking to Sango or herself. "We're going to be fine."

The air seems to lighten a little after a while, and Ryuuzetsu sighs in relief. "All right. Now we can-"

Commotion all over the front. A gruff voice coming from a giant man with a scar on his face, he towers over _everybody_. "Enough! Settle down immediately! The first test will begin immediately!"

"Immediately?" my stalker asks. "I thought we had until three to turn our stuff in! It's barely even one o'clock!"

"The mission just got moved ahead of schedule," Ryuuzetsu says, an edgy yet knowing look on her face. "That happens a lot in reality. He's already testing us."

Actually, I'm not so sure. I think he's doing this because of Kabuto's dark little tantrum just now. He decided that was enough, that he's going to start the first stage right now before everybody starts murdering each other.

The giant man with the scarred face and dark bandanna tied around the top of his head steps forward. He's surrounded by at least a dozen other ninja, all dressed in gray. A couple of them look familiar, like the young genin I had seen blocking the door, especially the guy with the bandages across his nose and what looks like a bruise forming across his right cheek.

Doesn't surprise me at all.

"My name is Ibiki Morino! As of right now, you are _all_ under my authority. Fighting without my explicit permission is prohibited and will result in automatic disqualification! And even if permission to fight is given, you are not allowed to use lethal force under any circumstances."

One of the Sound genin, Zaku, chuckles. "No lethal force? That's no fun."

Ibiki Morino smiles knowingly. "If you pass this, you'll have your chance to use lethal force soon enough."

He looks around the room. "Many of you seem jumpy, unsettled. If you are already mentally shot, I strongly recommend withdrawing right now before you embarrass yourself, your teammates, and yourself. Especially if you can't keep your violent urges to yourself."

That's a message towards Kabuto Yakushi if I ever saw one.

I see a hand raised, and it takes me a moment to realize that it _is_ Kabuto Yakushi. He chuckles in an embarrassed way. He is good at selling the meek, nerdy persona, _very_ good. "Um, yeah . . . I'm going to withdraw from this. The air in this room is too thick for me and somebody already tried to slit my throat. I'm gonna attempt a more _relaxed_ exam later."

"_What_?" Ryuuzetsu's already gritting her teeth, but her growl is drowned out by similar exclamations from what have to be Kabuto's teammates.

"What are you doing, Kabuto?" growls one of the ninja. His face is veiled and he's wearing dark monocular eyeglasses or _something_ that obscures his eyes.

"I've had enough," Kabuto says. "I'm sorry. I know this means you both have to withdraw too. All of the hoops they have us jumping through this year just isn't worth it."

"Then it's settled," Ibiki Morino growls. "Take your teammates and get out of the room at once."

Kabuto shuffles his way through the crowd and walks right towards us. I keep my eye on Ryuuzetsu, her hands are trembling.

"You're trying to escape from me?" she hisses. "I won't let you."

Just as they emerge from the crowd, Ryuuzetsu reaches for her kunai, but then Naruto grabs her from behind. "Stop it, Ryuuzetsu!"

"Naruto!" Ryuuzetsu's eyes widen.

"Ryuuzetsu, you promised you'd be here! Don't break it already! Let him go, he isn't worth it!" Naruto shouts as his arms wrap around Ryuuzetsu's shoulders tighter. "He's just a stupid coward!"

By this point, Kabuto's walking right by Ryuuzetsu. His eyes don't look at us, they're looking straight ahead. And they look _serious_. Like Kabuto's thinking something hasn't gone according to plan.

He and his teammates silently leave the room and the door closes behind us. Ryuuzetsu just sighs. "Naruto, you can let go now. I'm not gonna follow him out the door."

"Uh . . . right, sorry." Naruto's face turns red as he lets go of Ryuuzetsu and backs up to where Hinata is. Hinata, for her part, is silent, she's just looking down, like she's sad or something. I don't know why she would be.

"All right, any other _cowards_ who want to do the same thing, or do the rest of you feel you're man enough to sit in a classroom?" Ibiki Morino barks.

"What if we're a woman?" shouts a female voice.

Ibiki looks over to where the voice had come from. "Draw your own conclusions."

That shut her up, and everyone else in general.

"All right, the rest of you turn in your paperwork. In exchange, you will be given a number. That number will dictate where you will sit. The first stage of this Chuunin Exam will be a written test."

Naruto's face falls. "A written test?"

That's just great. Naruto could barely pass his written tests in the Academy and that was with his mother and Anko-sensei tutoring him. I am sure this is his worst nightmare right here.

"No more questions, no more discussions! I want your paperwork immediately! Form a single line, organized by team! Do it now!"

He shouts like he's a drill instructor. I wonder if this is what this man is.

No. He's more than that. I can tell.

Something tells me we're going to find out _how_ much more before this is over.

We've been divided up. I'm sitting in-between two ninja I do not know, one from the Hidden Sand, the other from the Hidden Waterfall. I do finally see Fuu, she's sitting right next to one of the grey-suited chuunin in the room to the left, close to the window. She's visibly trembling. I don't think she's too fond of written tests either.

I don't see Naruto or Hinata anywhere. I don't think they're sitting together, Naruto got sent towards the front, while Hinata's sitting in the back somewhere. I think the closest person to Naruto is Ryuuzetsu, and Hinata is damn close to Kiba from what I could tell before they all vanished from my immediate eyesight.

Ibiki Morino seemed to be distracted when we were receiving our numbers. He said something about "mice leaving the hole" in a near-whisper while I was up to get my number. I don't know what that's about, but something tells me it has to do with Kabuto.

How close were me, my teammates, and all of the other rookies to getting in serious trouble? What if this Kabuto guy really is what Ryuuzetsu describes him as? We could have been seriously screwed over!

Damn it. Too close. Just too close.

Ibiki Morino's focus is back. "Here is how many people have qualified for this Chuunin Exam: Thirty from the Village Hidden in the Sand. Twenty-one from the Village Hidden in the Rain. Eighteen from the Village Hidden in the Grass. Fifteen from the Village Hidden in the Waterfall. Three from the Village Hidden in the Sound. And, finally, sixty-nine from the host village, the Village Hidden in the Leaf. Congratulations, you have proven yourselves worthy of participating in the first stage of the exam."

He takes out a piece of chalk and puts it right by the blackboard. "But now is not the time to pat yourselves on the back. Just because you passed our screening does _not_ mean you are worthy of stepping up to the next rank of ninja. You have a lot more to go through before you're found worthy of _that_."

He smiles. "The purpose of the Exams is to keep the peace between our allied nations. We are demonstrating the best and brightest of our youngest ninja, not just to the host country but to _every_ country who participates in these exams. Now's the time to prove how bright you are. I will not be taking any questions for this first exam, so you better be listening the first time."

No questions. What kind of written test _is_ this? He's not making this an ordinary one, that's for sure.

Something is definitely up. I wonder what it could be . . .

"The written test will consist of ten questions," Ibiki Morino says. "Nine questions are on your sheets. The tenth question will be revealed later forty-five minutes into the test."

There's a slight smile forming across his face. Uh oh. "And now, here are the ground rules for this test . . ."

This . . . will not end well . . .

* * *

The Chuunin Exams are underway. Next week will be the return to Kushina's POV. Right now there's going to be 50/50 between Team 7 and Kushina, but Kushina will eventually usurp the majority of the POVs once we get through the Exams to an extent.


	3. Open Secrets

**Chapter Three: Open Secrets**

"Why am I in charge again?" Kakashi Hatake moans.

"Because you've been in charge since this whole thing started in Youko Ochiai's laboratory," Mikoto replies curtly. "No sense in changing things. You're in charge until you're dead or until we find someone better."

"Lovely," Kakashi groans, and then his lone visible eye looks at me.

Oh no. I'm not the leader here, Kakashi. There's a reason why I'm not. I haven't earned the right to be leader, I haven't regained everyone's trust. It'll be years before I'm able to do that. "Kakashi, please . . . Mikoto and I laid everything out for you. This is the easy part."

"I know," Kakashi says cheerfully. "It's like having secretaries."

Mikoto is not amused. "Get started, Kakashi."

Kakashi sighs and scratches the top of his head. "Right, right."

He looks out from the map, to the equipment, and finally to everyone else in the room, a group of about twenty jonin, most of them veterans of the Third Shinobi World War much like Kakashi, Mikoto, and myself. It's hard to look at these people and see they're all my age or younger, it reinforces that we were all kids being thrown into vicious battle. Minato wasn't much older than a teenager when he became a jonin-sensei for Kakashi, Obito Uchiha, and Rin Nohara during that war.

"All right. No more excuses, and no more games. The Chuunin Exams are beginning right this second. The candidates are going to go through a lengthy screening process before the first stage formally begins this afternoon. Hopefully that will knock out all of the people who have no business being in the Exam and allow us to concentrate on what matters."

He pauses, and then looks across the room again. "Let me tell you this. You are _all_ on a need-to-know basis. That goes _double_ for any ninja outside this room, especially the jonin-sensei. We had our reasons to keep them out of the loop on this operation."

The reason being that way there's no indication to any infiltrators that we know they're coming. The jonin-sensei have to be completely blind to what's happening, not a single hint can be given to them. I feel guilty about that, that Anko has no clue Orochimaru is coming, but at the same time, if Anko knew Orochimaru is coming, she'd stop at nothing to kill him. And she could ruin the whole plan. And so could any other jonin-sensei who found out.

Kakashi shakes his head. "There's no easy way to break this to you, so I'll just say it. We have received credible information that Orochimaru is going to attack this village."

That immediately gets the conversations going, the mention of Orochimaru's name.

"Let Kakashi speak!" Tenzo shouts about the din. "He's barely even begun!"

When the conversations simmer down, Tenzo nods at Kakashi. "Continue."

"Right," Kakashi says. I can tell from the tone of his voice that he's already sick of his leadership position. "Our information is from a credible source. Just over a month ago, an operation I was in charge of raided one of Orochimaru's hideouts. We captured one prisoner who we were able to turn traitor. Hopefully today we will be able to take the first step in stopping them."

He pauses. "Like I said, you are all on a need-to-know basis. In the event Orochimaru thinks we're onto him and captures one of you, I can't you _everything_. Notice I did not reveal the prisoner's identity. This is serious."

He gets out three photographs then. "The prisoner fingered these three individuals as agents of Orochimaru, the one in the center being the most important of all. The first prisoner should be familiar to you all . . . Kabuto Yakushi."

That gets the conversations going again, but they quickly stop.

"Kabuto Yakushi. The boy who was a lone survivor of the Battle of Kikyo Pass. He was brought here to Konoha by an elite jonin of our medical corps. He's been a perpetual disappointment in the Exams, always making it far but always quitting before or at the final round. He did a good job maintaining that meek persona of his, but our prisoner has identified him as Orochimaru's lead agent in Konoha. He may know far more about Orochimaru's plans, which is why we need to nab him, and do it _now_."

One of the jonin in the crowd immediately speaks up. "How the hell are we going to capture this guy if he's taking the exam?"

"I'm getting to that," Kakashi says. "Give me some more time to speak."

He clears his throat. "Kabuto's associates for this exam are Yoroi Akado and Misumi Tsurugi. While our prisoner did not explicitly finger them as being enemy agents, we've done our own investigations of both men and we believe that they are also traitors. The same investigation of their jonin-sensei, however, reveals that their jonin-sensei is most likely innocent. Which makes sense, an innocent jonin-sensei provides a good cover for three guilty genin."

His lone visible eye narrows. "We are going to deploy with the aim of capturing all three genin. If Yoroi Akado and Misumi Tsurugi are innocent, we'll know. However, both men have nasty abilities, Yoroi can suck your chakra right out of you and Misumi is a contortionist, he can wrap his entire body around you and crush you using his chakra. I don't believe either man will be match for us as long as we know what we're up against. Kabuto's abilities are more of a mystery, his battle record is . . . undistinguished, and he has not taken on many missions over the last few years."

He shakes his head. "Obviously that is a lie. That is why Kushina Uzumaki and myself will be taking the lead squad in capturing Kabuto, he is potentially the most dangerous. Tenzo will be leading the squad that will capture Yoroi Akado. Mikoto Uchiha will be leading the squad after Misumi Tsurugi. And now, what you've all been waiting for . . . how we know Kabuto Yakushi and his team is going to be walking right out those doors before this day is over and right into our clutches."

Kakashi chuckles. "We've strengthened our pre-exam screening this go-around to be especially demanding. It's a complete doozy. Only the most determined genin are going to make it through. This will lessen the amount of genin caught in Orochimaru's plans, and hopefully also drive Kabuto Yakushi and his associates to frustration as well."

Kakashi is not adding that the other reason they're doing this is to frustrate Naruto's team into making a giant mistake and getting knocked out of the exam right at the screening. Karin specifically said that Orochimaru was after Sasuke Uchiha but also mentioned my son on occasion. There's no way in hell Orochimaru is sinking his teeth into my son or Mikoto's son. Not on my watch.

The Hokage could not make Anko back her team out of the exam when Anko volunteered her squad. So they're not only trying to get Kabuto and his associates knocked out, they're trying to get Naruto's team out of harm's way.

That's fine with me. I'd still prefer if Naruto had more training. Plus the next Exams are in Ame. The ruler of Ame, Hanzo, is a loose cannon but compared to Orochimaru he's a blade of grass. And both Minato and I were promoted to chuunin at Ame. I would be so happy if Naruto was promoted at the same site as both his mother and father. Just the thought of it make my heart tighten and brings tears to my eyes. I know how badly Naruto wants to be promoted in front of Konoha, but this will be better for him.

In a way, this isn't right, to hope Naruto gets knocked out so early. He wants to win on his first try. He wants to win it for _me_. But he has no idea how much danger he's in. This is not an ordinary Exam. This is much, much worse. I will have to apologize to Naruto when this is all over. Apologize and hope that he will understand someday that this was all done for his safety. His life means much, much more than an exam.

"Finally, even if Kabuto makes it through the screening," Kakashi says with finalty, "Ibiki Morino has promised me he will make sure Kabuto Yakushi and his team will not make it past the first stage. He is our top interrogator. He will get inside Kabuto's head, or in Yoroi's or Misume's head and make them _crack_. The way Ibiki's set up the rules makes all three team members fail if one quits, so . . . trust me when I say that we will be proceeding with our operation. It will happen."

Kakashi nods at Mikoto, and Mikoto walks forward, a box in hand. She begins speaking. "Inside these boxes are pristine relics from Sky Country. They are radio headsets, the absolute best in the world, better than anything we have been able to replicate in Konoha. This is priceless equipment, irreplaceable. Take care of it."

"You'll be using these radios to keep in touch with each other during the operation," Kakashi says. "No unnecessary chatter. Once they come out, we grab them, bring them in, and interrogate them, and find out what they know."

He sighs, seemingly in relief. "We begin the operation immediately. Tenzo will pass out your team assignments. Let's move it."

He looks over at me as Tenzo begins his duty. "I can't wait until someone else takes over. This is not my thing."

"You're the man right now," I say. "Being the man's never easy."

"You're actually classified as 'S-rank'," Kakashi says. "This should be _your_ job right now."

I'm not going to be suckered into this argument. "It is what it is, Kakashi. Now let's assemble our team and get going."

"See what I mean? Natural leadership, right there. I hereby-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Kakashi."

"Aww."

* * *

_"Konoha Team 7 has entered the site of the first stage. I repeat, Konoha Team 7 has entered the site of first stage."_

Hearing that makes my heart jump. They made it. Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata. The three of them made it! Anko was _not_ kidding when she said they were ready! She's trained them better than I thought.

I want to be happy about this, that Naruto and his teammates can handle this. That they've made it into the Exam itself. But I can't. I know what's out there. And I know that Kabuto Yakushi and his team, Konoha 24, have also qualified for stage one.

I feel like I'm betraying Naruto by wanting him to be out of this exam. I really do. All I want for him is for him to be as safe as possible while taking the exam. Konoha _would_be that environment except that Orochimaru is scheming something horrific.

But at least this way Naruto can say he made it _this_ far on his first try. That's something I'm proud of. Not many first-timers do that, especially ones so young. But by the sounds of it, all nine Konoha rookies have qualified. They must all be exceptional genin in order to pull that off.

"You don't seem happy," Kakashi says to me.

"I'm not. He's in the same room as Kabuto Yakushi," I reply. "I need Kabuto gone. _Now_."

"He will be," Kakashi replies. "There's no way Ibiki will let him pass. If Kabuto won't crack he'll make sure Yoroi or Misumi will. Trust me, Ibiki is the best at what he does."

"I know, Kakashi. I know." I just have to keep telling myself that. That Ibiki is good at his job. That there's no way Kabuto will keep going. That Naruto and his teammates will be safer.

The channel our radios are tuned to is encrypted, and a channel we normally don't use. We made sure it was a channel that Orochimaru could not have gained access to. We can speak frankly over the radio here, and not have to speak in code, as long as the channel is secure. At least, that is the hope.

Ibiki's voice. _"Kabuto is approaching the nine rookie Konoha genin. He's speaking to them right now."_

What? He's already singling them out! Damn it, why can't we-

"Kushina, calm down," Kakashi says. "This doesn't mean anything. Not yet."

"I . . . I know." Just gotta keep calm. That's what I have to do. Stay calm. This doesn't mean anything, just like Kakashi's saying. Just keep a grip, and focus.

Ibiki again. "_Hang on. Kusa Team 4 has just passed the screening. We've got one of their members approaching . . . damn."_

"'Damn'?" Kakashi asks. "Ibiki, not exactly what we want to hear on our end."

"_The Kusa Team 4 member has a knife at Kabuto's throat._"

Okay. _This_ is getting out of control. "Can you identify the Kusa genin? I know you have a list of all the applicants, Ibiki," I say.

"_Kusa Team 4 consists of one older genin and two younger genin according to my dossier. Considering how tall the girl is it has to be Ryuuzetsu Isayama,_" Ibiki replies.

Ryuuzetsu! She made it! And apparently she hates Kabuto.

"You know her," Kakashi says coolly.

"Yes. I worked with her in the Land of Snow," I reply. "She has a lot of potential. Apparently Naruto befriended her and inspired her to come here instead of . . . of whatever she was gonna do instead. Naruto didn't really explain to me what Ryuuzetsu originally planned to do."

"Well, if she isn't stopped, she's going to kill Kabuto," Kakashi says.

"_Negative on that. She's let him go,_" Ibiki replies. "_Kabuto looks like he's been seriously spooked. I think one little push over the edge and he could be out of this exam before it even starts._"

"Want to do it now or wait until three o'clock?" Kakashi asks.

"_I think we have enough applicants to proceed with the exam as it is,_" Ibiki replies. "_I will have to speak in code around the genin, Kakashi. I'm going to push Kabuto over if . . . oh hell. I _will_ push Kabuto over the edge and out of the exam if I were to do it now. He's seriously rattled. I can sense how pissed off he is._"

"Do it," Kakashi says. "Get the exam under way, lock all of the remaining would-be applicants out, and get Kabuto and his team booted out of the exam."

"_Already on it, Kakashi. Over and out._"

I wish this would make me breathe easier. But it's not. Ryuuzetsu is trustworthy, she proved that to me in the Land of Snow. But Ryuuzetsu could have just made Kabuto on edge. Kabuto could panic. And if he panicks, he'll be unpredictable. That's what happens when people panic.

"Did you know she had a history with Kabuto?" Kakashi asks.

"I didn't have the slightest clue," I reply.

"Well, we seriously just lucked out," Kakashi says. "Remind me to thank Naruto for 'inspiring' her or whatever it is he did."

Ibiki again. "_The mice are heading towards the holes. Get ready._"

Speaking in code. All right, it's pretty clear what he means. Kabuto's taken his leave from the exam. Whatever Ibiki did, it worked.

"All right, time to get set, and get the hidden microphones turned on," Kakashi says, making hand signals to our partners to get the microphones switched on. If Kabuto says anything incriminating we're going to hear it and have it recorded, and it will be used against him.

"Watch all possible exits," Kakashi says. "I don't know how spooked this guy is. He could try anything."

As people acknowledge his order, I see the front door opens, and then I see him. Kabuto Yakushi.

Kakashi looks surprised. "He's got some guts to come walking out right through the front-"

The microphones come to life. "_Kabuto, now will you tell us what the hell is going on? Why did you just quit?_"

"_You did not see Ryuuzetsu just now, Yoroi. I can't do my job if I'm going to be headhunted by a damn Kusa genin throughout the whole exam. This is the only way to shake her._"

Kabuto's voice is youthful and smooth, a big difference from Yoroi's older voice. Yoroi Akado is twenty-four years old, he's basically on his last chance to qualify for the Chuunin Exam, same with Misumi Tsurugi. Kabuto is only nineteen.

"_You're scared of her._" A new voice now, probably Misumi's. "_She's stronger than you are._"

"_She has become stronger, but she still wouldn't stand a chance against me on equal footing even with the element of surprise. Don't fool yourself. But there's no way I'd keep my cover intact with her harassing me. She'd want a fight and I'd give it to her, no holds barred._"

"Sounds pretty bad so far," Kakashi says to me.

"I agree," I reply. But nothing truly incriminating. Just suspicious chatter.

"_Anyway_," Yoroi says, "_What's the plan now?_"

Kabuto audibly chuckles. "_We're being watched, that's what._"

"Shit," Kakashi hisses.

"_We're compromised_?" Misumi asks.

"Strike now," Kakashi orders. "Take all three of them down! Hurry!"

"Already on it, Kakashi! Chakra Chains Technique!" I summon the chains and throw all of them directly at the three traitors, but they all leap away. They knew something was coming.

"Squads, split up and go after your targeted individuals!" Kakashi shouts, and then we leap from the trees surrounding the Academy and follow Kabuto who has leapt onto the rooftops and is attempting to flee.

Kabuto's fast, but not fast enough. He's not going to be able to get enough separation to try to do a substitution or transformation technique without us noticing.

I disengage most of my chains to keep my mobility but continue to carry two of them. I'm going to need them to ensnare Kabuto the moment there's an opening.

Mikoto's voice. "_We wound up having to pursue alternate targets. I have Yoroi Akado. No resistance after he was surrounded_"

Caught one of them already. That's good to hear.

"Good job," Kakashi says.

"_I have Misumi Tsurugi,_" Tenzo adds. "_No resistance after he was surrounded_."

No resistance for both of Kabuto's subordinates. I wonder if they're trying to seem innocent. They must not have noticed we were listening to every word they were saying. There was nothing outright incriminating but their words _were_ suspicious. Enough to give Torture and Interrogation more than enough justificaiton to work them over.

Kabuto, however, is continuing to resist. He's smarter, I think. He knows we've already decided he is guilty and now he's just trying to run for it.

He leaps from the rooftops and into the alley, but one of our jonin cuts him off. Kabuto's right hand begins glowing and he lunges at the jonin, who sidesteps the blow.

But then Kabuto's _left_ hand begins glowing as well.

His hand goes right through the jonin's flak vest, spearing him through the stomach like a spear. The jonin makes a horrific gagging noise and collapses and Kabuto takes off again, but now I've close enough to try my chains again. I throw one of them at Kabuto and he steps aside and then runs up a wall right back onto the rooftops.

Kabuto is much, much better than a genin. He's chuunin-level for sure, maybe even jonin-level. He's far more dangerous than we expected.

"We've got a man down!" Kakashi says. "He needs medical attention immediately! All free ninja, surround the center of town! Make sure there's no escape for Kabuto! He's much more dangerous than his rank indicates!"

Why's he running towards the center of town? That's the worst place to go! Everyone will see this fight-

Wait. Wait.

That's the point!

He _wants_ to be seen now. Orochimaru if any of his spies, or heaven forbid, Orochimaru himself, is in Konoha right now. If Kabuto is captured in broad daylight in the center of town, there'll be no way to cover this up! Orochimaru will know that not only Kabuto's been blown, but we most likely know every single thing he's planning! And Orochimaru is a wry bastard, he'll still strike, he'll just completely change his strategy! We won't be able to stop him before Orochimaru enacts his plan, whatever it is!

This is not the plan .The plan is to capture Kabuto and then force him to give Orochimaru misleading information to lure Orochimaru into a trap. But if Orochimaru knows Kabuto's been caught, that makes it all useless!

I have to catch him! Now!

Two more jonin spring at Kabuto right as Kabuto is about to hit the center of the town. They begin fighting, and Kabuto again shows his prowess, but these jonin are better prepared. They keep Kabuto at a stalemate. Which leaves the door open for me!

I throw both chains right at Kabuto, and they connect, wrapping around him and ensnaring him. I pull the chains right at me and wind up my right arm.

Just as Kabuto is about to crash into me I punch Kabuto into the face and send him sprawling to the ground, the chains still tied aorund him. My right knuckles sting like hell but it was worth it. Kabuto's lying down now on this rooftop, moaning, his glasses knocked off of him to boot.

Kabuto's dark eyes peer up at me, glimmering with hatred. "You bitch. You should be dead."

"How so?" I ask.

Kabuto manages a smirk despite his obvious pain. "Twelve years ago or five weeks ago or anywhere in between. Take your pick."

"Enough of this." Kakashi walks up to Kabuto and I release Kabuto from the chains just long enough for Kakashi to restrain Kabuto. "Kabuto is secure. All primary and secondary objectives complete."

"Are they?" Kabuto snickers. "Are they really, Kakashi Hatake? I-"

Kakashi simply chops Kabuto in the nerve cluster and Kabuto falls limp. "I have heard far too many villainous rants in my life. I'm not in the mood to hear another one."

"Ain't that the truth," I reply.

Kakashi scoops Kabuto up. "Let's get to Torture and Interrogation. It's time we found out what this bastard's been up to."

"Understood, Kakashi." Hopefully whatever conspiracy's going on here can be stopped right now. Even if we don't catch Orochimaru, if we deter him from whatever he's planning, I'll consider that a victory.

Orochimaru's tried to manipulate me once, when I was a teenage chuunin, and he tried to use Minato for an experiment. Orochimaru claimed at the time it was an honest mistake, but I knew that was not true, even though the rest of the village bought it. Never again, I swore. Never again would I allow Orochimaru to do _anything_ to the people I love.

I will not let Orochimaru touch Naruto. He so much as glances at my son I'll slice his throat open.

_It is highly amusing to see you so worked up. Who's the animal here again?_

Shut up, beast. You don't understand.

_I _do_ understand. All too well, woman._

I don't like the implications of what the beast inside me is saying . . .

No. Ignore it. Ignore it. You're stronger than the demon. I'm not going to let the Nine-Tails torment me anymore, either. I'm stronger now. I will not let this beast conquer me, anymore than I will allow Orochimaru to conquer my village.

I'll do whatever it takes. Count on it, beast. Count on it, Orochimaru.

And Kabuto's about to learn the very same thing . . .

* * *

Mikoto's been trying to work Kabuto over for the last half-hour, but Kabuto is not talking. This man is not Karin, he is not a child, he is far more set in his ways and he despises Konoha, that's how much we've been able to tell so far. Even threatening to torture his teammates or jonin-sensei weren't enough to make Kabuto talk. Even breaking one of Yoroi's arms directly in front of Kabuto didn't make Kabuto so much as flinch.

The man is immoral. He does not care what happens to anyone else besides Orochimaru. All he cares about besides his apparently beloved master is Kabuto Yakushi.

Mikoto just sighs at us after she exits the soundproofed room with Kabuto and we shut the door behind her. Her eyes have relaxed, they've lost the inhuman intensity she has when she's interrogating. Now, she just sounds tired and exhausted. "One thing's for sure. I think if we physically torture him, he still won't talk. We're going to need to genjutsu him, but that's going to take time."

"Time's something we don't have," Kakashi says. "Danzo Shimura is _very_ interested in Kabuto for some reason, and something tells me Danzo's going to go too far and murder Kabuto by accident and then we got nothing."

"What about Yoroi or Misumi?" Mikoto asks.

"Yoroi talked, but he doesn't know anything we don't already know," Kakashi says. "Misumi's a contortionist, he breaks and snaps his bones all the time, he's a tougher nut to crack because of that, but I doubt he knows anything more than Yoroi does."

"So we have to break Kabuto," Mikoto sighs. "Fine. Give me a few minutes and I'll genjutsu him."

"_You people captured someone_," Kabuto says all of a sudden. "_Let me take a guess. It's a girl named Karin, isn't it?_"

What the hell? How does he know that?

Kakashi gets on the mic. "Who says we captured anyone?"

Kabuto chuckles. "_How the hell else was my cover blown? You people raided Orochimaru's southern hideout. Orochimaru's no idiot, he knows you people did. And he knows that you captured her. And you want to know how?_"

Kabuto shakes his head. "_Me. I saw you people carrying Karin through town. I know who she is. I knew she would talk._"

Kakashi's lone visible eye blinks, and then he says "Let's say I know what you're talking about-"

Kabuto laughs. "_Don't play games with me, Kakashi Hatake. I want to see Karin. I will not talk unless you bring me Karin. I know you people are pressed for time. Let me tell you this . . . do your absolute worst. I will not break in time to save Konoha. It'll take weeks to get whatever information you want from me, and by that point all that I know will be obsolete. So if you want your precious info, bring Karin in here._"

"You're not in the position to make demands," Kakashi says.

"_You're not in the position to gamble on your second-rate interrogators_," Kabuto replies.

Kakashi switches off the mic. "Should we?"

"Let's do it," Mikoto says. "I think I can back Kabuto into a corner using Karin. Karin's an annoying brat anyway, I'll instruct her to provoke Kabuto."

I personally don't know. Something seems _off_ about this, but I don't know _what_. Why would Kabuto demand to see Karin? He has to have an ulterior agenda of some kind.

"Karin's going in there only if I am," I finally say. "Kabuto may try to pull something. If he does, I'll make sure Karin stays out of harm's way. She trusts me, she knows she'll be safe if I'm with her."

Mikoto nods. "Sounds like a plan to me." She signals to one of the two jonin guards in the room with us, and one of them nods and leaves the room to fetch Karin. She's in the same facility as Kabuto as she's not allowed to go outside at the moment, but compared to the prisoners she lives in luxury. We're still not letting her have access to paper or anything that could be used as a weapon, however. Just because she talked doesn't mean she's truly switched sides. I think Karin sincerely has but you can never be too sure.

I look back at Kabuto, who's face is impassive, his eyes looking like they can stare through all of us. There's no sign that he's playing a game here. He meant it. He wants Karin.

I take ink out of my pocket and begin drawing one of Minato's seals on my left hand. Just to be safe.

One thing's for sure in this profession, you can _never_ be too sure.

And right now I'm not sure what Kabuto is up to at all.

* * *

"So all I gotta do is bug him, huh?" Karin says as she stands in front of the door. "Lookin' forward to it. I met Kabuto once. He's a prick."

"That much we've been able to figure out," Kakashi says.

Karin just smiles at that comment. "Finally, someone who talks like me in this place. There's others like me. I'm not alone."

"I am not sure whether to take that as a compliment or not," Kakashi says.

Karin just chuckles, but then Mikoto steps in front of Karin and places her hands on Karin's shoulders. "The point is to provoke Kabuto, not us. Just try to push Kabuto into blurting things, turn whatever Kabuto's playing here right back at him. Don't let him manipulate you, just-"

"Lady," Karin says. "Kabuto's a rank amateur in being a prick compared to me. I got this. You're talking to the Queen of the Pricks."

Mikoto just blinks, and I cover my mouth so Mikoto doesn't seem me grin. Karin's got a point there. She _is_ quite good at . . . at what I suppose is "Karin-ness". That's all I have to describe Karin.

"All right," Mikoto finally says. "Remember, you'll have both me and Kushina supporting you, and Kakashi and Tenzo standing by watching the whole thing in this room. You are not without protection."

Tenzo just puts his face into his palms. No matter how hard he tries, he can't make any of us call him by the alias he wants, 'Yamato'. I wonder if he'll ever accept that someday.

"I know," Karin says. "Just let me at him already. His ass is grass, bitches."

Mikoto just looks away from Karin and shakes her head. Karin just grins like she thinks she's the most adorable child in the world. Karin's quite a character. She reminds me of Naruto except a lot cruder and like she's on a never-ending sugar high.

"All right, let's do it," I say. "Mikoto, you go first, and I'll be right behind Karin."

"Good luck," Kakashi says.

"Yeah, we're gonna need it," Mikoto grumbles, but she dutifully opens the door and the three of us file into the room where Kabuto continues to sit, still handcuffed and his legs tied with rope. He has no chance of pulling any kind of tricks with the restraints we put on him.

"Kabuto! Buddy! Pal! How have you been?" Karin says the moment she sees Kabuto. She leans in across the table, getting right in Kabuto's face. "You missed me, haven't you? I can see it in your eyes! You care about my well-being and stuff!"

Karin suddenly lets out a cruel chuckle. "Not."

Whoa, the tone in Karin's voice just got dark in a hurry. Something tells me Karin's going to-

She gets right in Kabuto's face again. "This is just to get all of the 'why I betrayed you' crap out of the way. You were right here, the whole time, and could've rescued me. And you didn't lift a finger to get me out. You knew I was here, the whole time, and you knew I could talk, and you left me in their prisons to rot anyway. I don't like being considered worthless and expendable, Kabuto. And now you've learned that the hard way."

Kabuto doesn't say anything, he just smiles in this dark, mysterious way.

"I think it's pretty clear that nobody ever cared about me when I was with you guys," Karin says. "All Orochimaru did was have me go 'Oh look at the new shiny thing I'm gonna get to do'! There was nothing _real_. And you people sold me out the moment I stopped being worth something. Kimimaro sold me out in the hideout, and I had to be protected by the very people capturing me. That says a lot, Kabuto."

Kabuto's expression doesn't change. He just sits there, passive.

"You know, I kind of like Konoha now. They have cookies." Karin hands suddenly reaches into her pocket and pulls out a cookie from her pocket. "Want one?"

Kabuto raises an eyebrow. "It's drugged."

"Rats. Thought that one was gonna work on ya." Karin casually tosses the cookie behind her. "Oh well."

"Is this gonna get anywhere?" Mikoto whispers to me.

"Maybe. Only way to find out is to keep watching," I reply.

"How much have you told them?" Kabuto asks.

Karin smiles. "Everything I know. Want me to go down the list?"

Kabuto's own smiles fades. "No. I can tell without you going down the list that you're a lost cause."

"I became a lost cause because you _decided_ I was a lost cause. If you had saved me, and I bet you could've without blowing your cover, Konoha would be completely blind to what's coming. Now they're not. They know that Orochimaru's after Sasuke Uchiha. They know the three Oto genin, Dosu, Kin, and Zaku, are Orochimaru's other eyes and ears inside the exam, but they're letting them go for right now so Orochimaru doesn't think they're onto him."

Suddenly, Karin's smile turns devilish. "Oh, and the part about Suna betraying Konoha. They know that too."

Wait, _what_? Karin never told us that! Suna's gonna-wait, Kabuto looks _just_ as surprised as I feel! What's going on?

"How the hell did you find that out? You never had high enough clearance to know that!" Kabuto yells.

"I didn't," Karin says. "I decided to take a guess out loud, and guess what? You just told Konoha that Suna's going to betray them and side with Orochimaru."

She chuckles. "Gotcha."

"You little bitch." Kabuto shakes his head. "Orochimaru never should've taken you in."

"Not even going to congratulate me on an educated guess?" Karin asks. "Wow, Kabuto. You really suck."

Kabuto looks down. Mikoto is nodding to Kakashi and Tenzo in the next room, basically signaling them to get this information to the Hokage as soon as possible. The Village Hidden in Sand, betraying us? This isn't just Orochimaru planning an overthrow or kidnapping genin! This is outright war!

Karin sits down in front of Kabuto and puts her elbows on the table, resting her head on her hands. "Wanna know how I figured it out, my fellow four-eyes? I know Orochimaru doesn't have the numbers to defeat Konoha. He's only got three genin in the Chuunin Exam, after all. He needs an ally capable of giving Konoha a good fight while he goes for the throat of the village. Guess what? It's gonna be Suna. Konoha would _never_ see it coming, and Suna would have an excuse to have many of their ninja around, since it's the Chuunin Exam and all."

She fiddles with her glasses. "So now what, Kabuto? Nobody's gonna save your ass here. No one saved me after all."

Kabuto's eyes look right at Karin. "This information is never going to leave this room."

Karin laughs. "Good luck with that!"

"I mean it." There's a force behind Kabuto's voice that is disconcerting. I don't like it. He's going to pull something. "Suna is going to betray Konoha."

Suddenly black markings flash across Kabuto's face and arms . . . likely all over his entire body.

Karin is so startled she leaps out of the chair. "Get me out of here!"

"What the hell is that?" Mikoto asks.

I don't know, but it's clearly a trap! Kabuto just got us all in a trap! If I read those markings, they look almost like the writings you would . . .

You would put on a paper bomb . . .

Oh, crap.

"And no one's gonna know," Kabuto says with a dark smile on his face.

"He's turned himself into a bomb somehow!" I take my left hand out as suddenly it seems like Kabuto's body is _bubbling_. There's no way Mikoto, Karin and I can get out of the room in time! There's only one option!

"Everyone in this room and the next is _dead_," Kabuto says, his voice distorted as the bubbling all over his skin begins to take his body over.

"You're wrong!" I position my left hand in front of me. "It's just you! Ninja Art! Teleportation Barrier!"

A purple glow envelops Kabuto and I quickly send him to the only safe spot I can think of closely by and then deactivate the barrier.

"You guys all right?" I ask. "Anyone had any limbs caught in it?"

"No," Mikoto says. Karin, for her part, just slides down the wall until she's sitting on the floor, looking like she's seen a ghost.

The door opens and Kakashi runs inside. "What the hell just happened in there? Where's Kabuto?"

"W-Wherever Kabuto is," Karin manages, "He's _everywhere_."

Mikoto looks like she's going to slap Karin and I grab Mikoto's hand. "No."

Mikoto looks at me, and then back at Karin, and then settles down. "I understand."

Tenzo joins Kakashi in the room. "I've seen that before, but not since the Third Shinobi World War. Many prisoners were booby-trapped like that, so if they said something sensitive their bodies would explode, killing their interrogators as well as the prisoner itself. Kabuto knowingly said that phrase to try to kill all of us."

Even though Kabuto chose to die this way, I can't help but feel sickened. Why would people turn their underlings into bombs? There's a line where humanity has to prevail! What kind of fanatic was Kabuto to even let this happen to him in the first place?

"_You_ weren't armed like that, were you?" Mikoto asks Karin.

"N-No! I swear I'm not!" Karin cries. "I w-wasn't important enough and I was no spy! Please! You gotta believe me!"

She's crying. She's literally _crying_. "D-Don't lock me up again! I-I _promise_ I'm n-not booby-trapped! I'm not! I'm not!"

"Karin!" I grab her shoulders. "Get ahold of yourself! We're not going to imprison you again! You're part of Konoha now! Calm down!"

Karin just responds by grabbing me and pulling me towards her and she wraps her arms around me. She is _scared_. She's not like the rest of us, who've experienced this type of thing happen before, she hasn't been hardened by the life of the ninja. Karin may have done some cruel experiments in Orochimaru's stead, but she's never really felt the consequences of these horrible things. Now that it's hitting her, she's shaken up.

"Kushina, where'd you send Kabuto off to?" Kakashi asks.

Still holding onto Karin, I turn towards the others. "The only place where I could guarantee no one's around . . . my house."

_Everyone's_ eyes widen at that.

"All of the nearby training grounds have jonin practicing for the increased security for the third round of the Exams," I reply. "If I throw Kabuto there, I could kill or wound several of our best ninja. And my range with this technique is not like Minato's. I can't send Kabuto to the grounds we're not using, or to the forest outside the village, we're too far away from that. So the only other place I came up with was my house."

"Damn it, Kushina," Kakashi says softly.

"I'm not the most popular person in town, it's not out of the question someone could try to bomb my house," I say.

"That's the sad part," Mikoto says. "It's not implausible. So even though the whole damn _village_ could've heard that it could be passed off as an attempt at property damage."

"Exactly." All right. Keep your focus, Kushina. Don't think about the house. Don't think about how close you just came to getting killed. Don't think that you could've just destroyed some of the mementos you still have. You've got a crying girl wrapped around you, and now you've just learned of a _serious_ betrayal.

Focus. Focus. "Tenzo, please go to my home with some ninja and clean up the damage and repair the house. Make it look like nothing happened if you can. You're the only one who can do that on short notice. I can keep Naruto out of the house until you're done, trust me."

"All . . . all right," Tenzo says, and he leaves.

"Kakashi, if you haven't already dispatched someone, get to the Hokage. He _must_ learn this," I say.

"I've already sent someone," Kakashi says. "The Hokage's gonna know."

"Mikoto," I say. "You need to relieve Ibiki. The first round of the Exam's gotta be almost over by now. We need Ibiki out of Exam mode and back to investigating, especially after what we just learned with the Suna ninja. They're all potential threats now. We need every single Suna ninja here, regardless of whether they're still in the Exam or not, under surveillance. I don't care how it's done, we gotta get it done."

"I know," Mikoto says. "You're going to be all right?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." Personally I feel like my heart's going to pound against my ribs and tear itself apart, but the adrenaline rush is letting me keep from going crazy. Which is important.

"All right. Remind me to have dinner with you and the boys later," Mikoto says. "We're going to need to relax our nerves after today."

"I know. Now hurry. Get going," I say. "Meanwhile, I'm gonna put Karin where she's safe and then . . . and then I'll figure out something-"

"Kushina!" Karin suddenly looks up at me.

"Yes?" What's going on now?

"T-There's something I gotta tell you!"

Something else Karin withheld from me? No, wait, don't think that. Karin didn't withhold the Suna information at all, she said she did it as an educated guess and provoked Kabuto into confirming it. I can't think of her the wrong way.

"What? Make it fast, Karin."

"M-My last name's not Kozuki!"

"Okay?" Karin, okay, false last name, a lot of ninja do that, I-

"My _real_ last name is 'Uzumaki'!"

So her-wait, _what_?

She stares at me with her garnet-colored eyes. "I . . . I am a member of the Uzumaki clan."

Karin tries to smile at me. "Please . . . you have to believe me. I'm-"

"I believe you, I believe you." Damn it, how much is going to be dropped on my head today? Naruto's taking an Exam that's the most dangerous it's been in decades, Orochimaru's gotten Suna to betray us, I almost got blown up by Kabuto, I teleported Kabuto to my house which he's probably halfway leveled, and now . . . this?

It's a miracle I'm still processing all of this. Especially this last one. I thought that most of the Uzumaki were _dead_. How is this possible?

I'm going to need to find that out. I'm not going to have any more surprises dropped on my head today. I'm gonna make sure of _that_.

"Let's . . . let's get you to where it's safe, Karin Uzumaki."

* * *

Now that Karin's real name is out there, I was going to a bit of a anime joke with Karin's alias. You may be aware of redheaded Kallen Kozuki from Code Geass. Notice that redheaded Karin "Kozuki" has a similar flow to it. Ha ha ha, brilliant I am not.

By the way, cliffhanger. There's going to be a lot of these in the fic. Get used to them. :3


	4. A Girl of the World

**Chapter Four: A Girl of the World**

After bringing Karin to her room, which is basically where she's been confined since she told the Hokage everything, I let her sit down and catch her breath, after all, she nearly _died_.

It's only just starting to hit me. Karin, an Uzumaki? It seems impossible. Too impossible. The legendary Uzumaki clan basically ceased to exist after the destruction of Uzushio. I was only spared the destruction of my home village because I had moved to Konoha to become the new jinchuuriki. The survivors were few, if any at all. I had avenged the clan to a degree by slaying one of the butchers of the village, Doto Kazahana, but it's too little, too late.

There had been rumors that there were still some Uzumaki out there, scattered around the world, but I never really believed them. I never had a good reason. Even in my eight year exile I never saw even a glimpse of another Uzumaki. If they still existed, they were well-hidden. Too well-hidden.

"You're an Uzumaki?" I finally ask Karin.

"I am," Karin says. "Yeah, you don't believe me. I get it. I've been calling myself 'Kozuki' this entire time. You wanna know why?"

I'll play her game for the moment. "Sure. Why?"

"It was so I wouldn't _die_."

That doesn't surprise me. The reason why the Uzumaki clan was thought to be extinct is because the few survivors were highly feared and killing them would get you a lot of money even if it was a child. After all, despite being heavily outnumbered, Uzushio had destroyed seventy-five percent of the invading force sent to crush it. The participants wanted no shot of the Uzumaki clan ever being restored. So if you killed a known Uzumaki, it was a prize that would make you filthy rich.

"I see. So was 'Kozuki' a name you chose for yourself, or an alias your parents chose?" I'm going to be careful here, I am pretty sure Karin's parents have to be dead.

"My parents chose the name 'Kozuki'. They were refugees from Uzushio, they barely got out in time," Karin says. "They hid under the 'Kozuki' name in a small village close to Kusa. Didn't help them though. One way or another somebody found out they were Uzumaki and then . . . _foom_."

"'Foom'?" I ask.

"Village burned to a crisp. My parents got charbroiled trying to get out of the village. I escaped by hiding and somehow I didn't get set on fire like everyone else," Karin replies. "Orochimaru found me in the ruins and the rest is history. I joined him, he brought me to that southern isle hideout, and I began training to become one of his scientists."

"What makes you think Orochimaru didn't have a hand in destroying your village?" I ask.

"I know Orochimaru didn't. He's a devious little snake but he's not _that_ good," Karin says. "Anyway, he had no clue about my Heal Bite ability. I had to show it to him to prove I was worthy of being saved by him. That I could be useful."

"That's . . . sad," I finally say. The thought of Orochimaru biting Karin makes me want to throw up. It's a disgusting, revolting image. And yet, that's something a desperate little girl wanting some kind of safety and comfort would do.

"It's not sad. It's the way it is with me," Karin says. "It's the way it's always been as long as I can remember."

Karin rolls up one of her sleeves and looks at the several bite scars on her right arm. "My family was part of a special Uzumaki sect. We have incredible healing chakra, but it comes out easiest when we are bitten. We have no control over that. If you bit me right now whether I like it or not you're going to feel a _rush_ of chakra entering you. And it's _quite_ a rush. A rush a lot of people find rather _erotic_, if you know what I mean."

She leans in real close. "They were only trying to kill my dad. They wanted my mom and me for _prostitution_. Imagine the refreshing feel of chakra flowing through you from biting a woman! Real kinky, isn't it?"

"Karin-"

She gives me no time to interject. "So yeah, somehow the whole village wound up getting burned down and everybody got roasted except me. I'm a survivor, Kushina. Just like you are. Uzumaki don't die so easy."

There's some things that are adding up. I remember hearing that there had been a special Uzumaki sect like that, but I don't remember where. But the familiarity lends credence to Karin's story. Plus I still remember Fuu giving Karin a close-up and openly suggesting that Karin and I could be related. If this is true, and I'm beginning to think it is, Fuu had this all figured out from the outset. And I didn't see this coming at all.

We had done physicals, checked Karin's chakra. She has a lot more chakra than the average ninja, just naturally. And the healing chakra inside her could be focused and realized. She could become an amazing medic once she's taught the Mystical Palm. Not only that, but she has the chakra to potentially improve on Mystical Palm. She could become the top medic in Konoha in a few years if she were to start seriously training for it.

No one had put the pieces together to realize that it was a sign Karin could be an Uzumaki. Why would we? The Uzumaki were finished.

And now, all of a sudden, they are not. Karin would join Naruto and myself as being members of the Uzumaki clan. We could actually start rebuilding the clan right in Konoha. Of course I'm not going to force Naruto to marry Karin, or vice versa. That's not fair to them. But if they get to adulthood and find people who love them, it could be the start of a brand-new Uzumaki clan. One that hopefully would be strong enough to weather any further trials.

No. No. I'm getting ahead of myself. But I want to believe. I want to believe so bad that this is a long-lost Uzumaki in front of me. She's just sitting there, on her bed, in front of me, her red eyes behind those glasses pleading to be believed. She's an acerbic young girl but underneath it all is someone really vulnerable, someone who wants to _belong_.

I want to believe.

"You're right," I finally say. "Uzumaki don't die easily. I've escaped death a lot. I don't plan on being taken down, _ever_. I'm dying of old age in a nursing home, dammit."

Karin smiles. "With maximum senile-ness?"

I'll humor her, she could use that. "Sure, why not?"

"Damn straight. I'm gonna drive my caretakers insane before I die as some crazy old lady. Get some amusement in before I go to heaven or hell or Buddha-paradise or wherever we go," Karin says. "But I'm not gonna be just an _ordinary_ crazy old lady. I'm gonna be the crazy old _cat_ lady! And my caretakers will have to clean _all_ of the litter boxes! And they will _like_ it!"

I don't envy whoever's gonna have to take care of old Karin. Not one bit.

"And that's why . . ." Karin suddenly drops the goofy expression. "You gotta keep me safe. Orochimaru knows I'm still alive. I'm sure of it, after what Kabuto just said. Kabuto's a prick but he's good at what he does, I am sure he told Orochimaru that I was taken alive."

"You're safe here, Karin. You've always been kept under maximum security," I reply.

"'Maximum security' ain't enough to stop Orochimaru," Karin replies. "He's strong. Stronger than anyone I've ever seen. You're the only person who even comes close."

If Orochimaru did become that powerful, he'd just march into Konoha and subjugate it on his own. He wouldn't _need_ followers.

"I don't think he's as strong as you think he is. If he could overpower me he wouldn't need help to destroy Konoha or whatever it is he wants. He wouldn't have to get Suna onboard with our plan. You're forgetting not only about the other strong ninja in Konoha, but also about the Hokage himself."

"That old geezer?" Karin asks, clearly skeptical.

"Don't underestimate him," I reply. "He's Hokage for a reason."

"Probably 'cause no one else wants the job," Karin says.

Oh, Karin. How little she understands. But she's figure it out soon enough. "My husband was Hokage once too. It involves a lot more than 'wanting the job', trust me on that."

"Your husband became Hokage?" Karin looks at me, clearly shocked.

"Minato Namikaze, that was his name," I reply. "It came down between him and Orochimaru, believe it or not, to become the Fourth Hokage after the Third opted to retire."

"Orochimaru _almost_ became Hokage?" Karin asks. "I can't believe it. There's no way!"

"Well, it actually nearly happened. It was the rumors of his unsavory experiments that proved to be the deciding factor in going with the much younger Minato Namikaze. Minato had a stellar war record, however, and he was mature for his age, an overall honorable man."

I don't want to get too personal with Karin. I barely know her and don't know how much I can trust her. I can't even verify beyond doubt she's an Uzumaki like me. "However, Minato died twelve years ago. Apparently some weeks after the true horrors of Orochimaru's experiments became public and Orochimaru fled the village before he could face justice. So they decided to bring the Third Hokage out of retirement until someone else could prove his or herself."

"So that's the reason why you have a geezer in charge." Karin leans back and sighs. "I guess it makes sense. I don't know how he can stop Orochimaru, though."

"He doesn't have to stop Orochimaru. Not on his own. He has me and hundreds of other ninja ready to fight alongside him. Konoha is one of the strongest, if not the _absolute_ strongest, ninja villages in the world. That's why Orochimaru had to bring Suna in."

I look at her, and again, that hair of hers . . . it is genuinely the same shade of red as mine, the same shade as many of the Uzumaki I remember. "If what you're saying is true, you will make Konoha even stronger, Karin. The Uzumaki clan can rebuild itself as a part of Konoha. It's no longer just me and Naruto. There is true hope for rebuilding the clan."

"How does one more person make a difference?" Karin asks.

"One person can make a _world_ of difference, Karin. That's how important every single life on this planet is. One person, in some way, affects every other person in the world, even if they never leave their town or village. It's all connected, Karin."

Karin gives me a weird face. "Don't start the philosophical junk on me. Not interested."

"You'll be an adult someday and you'll find these things much more interesting." That's when I sense a third person in the room and I get up and head towards the entrance of the room.

Tenzo. "Kushina, I need to speak with you right away."

"Right." I look back at Karin. "I need to go now. But we'll talk later. Just remember, you're _safe_."

"Uh huh." Karin doesn't sound completely convinced, but I don't have time to convince her. I'm trying to save my village right now.

And in saving it allow one small hope, the hope of the Uzumaki's survival, to grow.

* * *

"What do you mean there's no body?"

Damn it. I can't believe what I just heard. There's no way. Kabuto was literally about to explode right in the interrogation room! And it didn't look like a fake technique either! It looked _real_!

"There is no body. There's no damage. Your house was partially ransacked and several of your traps did activate," Tenzo says. "I think Kabuto knew exactly where you warped him."

"Does this mean all he was doing was bluffing? And we fell for it?" I ask.

"No. The technique was real. I could tell," Tenzo replies. "But Kabuto found a way to stop and reverse the process. So he was either going to kill himself killing all of us or you would take the bait and warp him away."

This means he _knows_ about me. He knew I had the Teleportation Barrier. And he knew I would teleport him with it if he was going to kill me with a suicide attack. He read me like a book.

My stomach does flips. This means that he's been spying on me for a _very_ long time. Possibly years. There's no other way he would know these things.

Words can't describe how I feel right now. _Violated_ isn't the right word for it. _Afraid_ doesn't fit either. Neither does any version of the word _anger_. All I know is that I want this bastard found, and I no longer care if he's alive. In fact, I'd prefer if he was _dead_, damn the consequences. If all Kabuto has to do is turn himself into a bomb to deter interrogation, I'd rather end his life on the spot than give him an opportunity to harm Leaf ninja.

"Kushina, did you bring home _anything_ sensitive?" Tenzo asks me.

"No. Of course not. Everything I need for this operation is kept either right in this building, or the Hokage's office. I bring _none_ of it home. I am absolutely positive Kabuto found nothing regarding our counterattacks against Orochimaru."

But that's not entirely true. "But he can tell Orochimaru what we know, right up to Suna betraying our alliance to side with Orochimaru. Kabuto'll also tell Orochimaru that Karin betrayed them . . . and . . ."

Oh no. "This safe house has been compromised. I know Kabuto was brought in here blindfolded but he's a _spy_. If he's good at his job, and all evidence says he is, he'll know exactly where he was, and he knows Karin's here. We need to get Karin and all sensitive documents out of here and into another safe house _immediately_ before Kabuto can report in to Orochimaru. Once Orochimaru finds this out this place is going down."

"What are you going to do then?" Tenzo asks.

What does he think I'm going to do? "I want every available jonin searching for Kabuto Yakushi. That's what I'm going to do right this second. We need him captured or dead, and at this point I think _dead_ would be preferable to him turning into a bomb again."

The first exam has ended by now. I am sure Ibiki Morino is leaving his Exam duties behind any second. His assistance is going to be greatly appreciated. "Just get Karin and anything sensitive out of here, Tenzo. Don't argue with me."

Tenzo stares at me impassively. "You seem really worried about Karin-"

"Tenzo, Karin is a member of the Uzumaki clan. She is more valuable than we ever thought," I interrupt.

Tenzo stares, his dark eyes clearly shocked. "Impossible."

"She's an Uzumaki, Tenzo. She's been living under a false name all this time. She's even more important now. Now I'm going to leave and search for Kabuto. Get all the people you can trust and get this safe house emptied and get another one ready for use," I reply.

I take off then down the hall. Tenzo, I can't take any more questions right now. This is for not just Karin's safety but the safety of the whole village.

Kabuto can't have gotten far. It hasn't even been a half hour since I warped him. The trail can't have grown cold yet.

And even if it has, I'll track him down anyway. He needs to be taken out, and taken out _now_, before it's too late.

Before Orochimaru knows that we're ready for him.

Before this entire plan goes up in smoke . . .

* * *

It does not take much effort to find Kabuto. Kabuto was already found by a pair of jonin six blocks from my house, frightingly close to the Hokage's office, as a matter of fact. Both jonin are down on the ground, clearly badly wounded, and Kabuto turns and looks at me, his hands glowing with an eerie light.

"Kushina Uzumaki," he says. "You surprise me. Never did I guess you would've warped me right into your own house."

"I've got plenty of surprises left in store for you," I reply. "You can forget about being taken alive now, how's that for a surprise?"

Kabuto chuckles. "How merciless."

"That was a nice trick. You armed yourself into a bomb, knowing that if you exploded you would've killed Konoha's protector, but I think that wasn't your primary objective. Your primary objective was for me to warp you away in fear, wasn't it?"

Kabuto's smile gets just a bit wider. "I have been studying you, Kushina Uzumaki, whenever I possibly can. Reading your mission reports have been _most_ enlightening. It's allowed me to figure out the most repetitive patterns you follow. You fashion yourself more like a _protector_ than you do an _assassin_."

He puts up a fighting stance. "Let me tell you: ninja make _poor_ protectors. We're killers, first and foremost. We just aren't programmed to be protectors or bodyguards. It's a duty that's been forced upon us."

He chuckles softly. "It drives me insane. Gets my blood stirred up."

It's quite clear how different Kabuto is from me. "I don't feel that way at all. I think ninja are what ninja need to be these days, including the protection of others."

This battle isn't exactly being done in a main street, but I need to end this fast. I can hear commotion behind me. We're starting to attract a crowd.

"Always a naive idealist," Kabuto says. "Your attitude should've gotten you killed twelve years ago. It's the opposite of what a ninja should be."

"I did not take my first life until twelve years ago, when you think I should've gotten killed," I reply. "I avoided killing for the longest time. Even during the war I did not kill. I knocked people out and took them prisoner. Lives are sacrosanct, we each only have one life, and that life is a-"

Kabuto interrupts me. "I know. They gave you the _easy_ missions in the war. That's how you captured the highest amount of P.O.W.s. I don't need to hear your moralistic blathering."

Shut up, asshole! I don't want to hear you talk either!

I rush him and punch him right in the face with everything I have, and I send him flying down the alley until he clips a wall and crashes into the ground, right in front of a bunch of garbage at the other side.

"Monsters like you changed me," I finally say as I walk up to him. "I wanted to believe the best in people. I believed every person had enough intrinsic good in them that they could be redeemed no matter how far they fell. Twelve years ago, I learned that is not the case. There are people who can't be saved. I didn't even find _myself_ worthy of saving until other people showed me I was."

Kabuto groans as he sits up. "Let me guess . . . I am not worth 'saving', as you put it?"

"You'd be worth saving if you wanted to be saved. But you took that option away. I'm not going to put any more people at risk for your sake."

Kabuto shakes his head and smiles at me. I'm getting really sick of his twisted grin. "It's amazing, how cruel you really are. You _pretend_ to be this holier-than-thou woman of virtue, but you're really no better than I am. You're every bit as willing to kill as-"

I will not listen to one more word from your mouth, Kabuto! You'll never understand!

I charge him, and Kabuto throws a shuriken at me which I deflect into the wall on my left side. When I get in front of him, we duel with a pair of kunai in each hand. His grip feels a little more slack than I'd expect from a ninja of Kabuto's caliber, but Kabuto _has_ been roughed up, I can tell. He's clearly getting tired, especially after incapacitating two jonin. He can't fend me off, not in this condition.

He overextends himself in one of his counterattacks, and I promptly slash him on the hand and he drops his weapon. I have another opening in the middle of his stomach and I send my left knee crashing into his intestines and lower ribcage.

He bends down low and I finish him off with a kunai directly across his throat. He gags and collapses to the ground, barely able to bring his hands to his throat before he falls motionless.

You think I wanted to kill you, Kabuto? Out of malice? Out of hatred? No. I killed you because it's the only way to protect everything I care about, and everyone who counts on me.

_You lie to yourself every time you say that. A part of you enjoys it, woman. I can sense it._

Damn this beast. Won't it ever leave me to my own thoughts?

I crouch down in front of the body. I'm actually surprised at how easy this was. Kabuto should have been a lot more capable than this, he's given people much more . . .

Wait. Why are stitches . . .

There's stitches all over the scalp. Like a . . .

No.

No.

Can't be.

I take the body and rip the shirt right off the corpse. I see a tattoo with the ANBU symbol across the chest. This was not Kabuto. This was _never_ Kabuto. All this was is a recently deceased ANBU, perhaps one Kabuto had killed himself, and Kabuto did some ninjutsu tricker to make it work as a clone.

The real Kabuto is still alive. He's alive and on the loose.

"Kushina?" Even though I recognize the voice, hearing a voice behind me still gives my heart a fright.

"Kakashi, this is not Kabuto," I reply. "This is a clone or something else. Kabuto stitched a copy of his face onto this man."

Kakashi walks up beside me. "I can see that," he finally says.

"Yeah, well, it didn't help _any_ of us," I reply. "Kabuto's still on the loose and this was a decoy and I walked right into it."

"Calm down," Kakashi says calmly. "The Third Hokage wants you stop turning the village upside down. You're not going to catch Kabuto this way."

"Right, sorry." I leave the cadaver behind for Kakashi, and walk back across the alley, but then it becomes clear Kakashi isn't done yet.

"Kushina, I want you to go home for the remainder of the day. The first stage of the exam is over and your son was labeled as a possible Orochimaru target. I don't know if that's going to change but until we know otherwise Naruto needs to be kept safe at all times."

The worst part is that I know Kakashi's right. Naruto does need to be kept safe. If Orochimaru does have designs on Naruto I have to be there to deter the bastard or to stop him if he's brazen enough to try.

Also, even if Orochimaru discovers what we know, that doesn't mean he still won't come for Sasuke or Naruto anyway. He could think that we're assuming his plans are changed, or he's just so powerful that our preparations won't matter. Whatever the reason, I can't let down my guard.

"I understand, Kakashi," I finally say as I walk away.

Kakashi sighs. "Look, Kushina, I admire your energy and all, but you need to calm down for just a-"

"No, Kakashi, I can't calm down. And I won't. Not until Orochimaru is finished," I reply. This is something Kakashi needs to understand, especially with everything that's just happened.

"I am the protector of this village, Kakashi. I will make sure Konoha is safe from all threats. This is my responsibility and I'm not going to abandon it anymore, especially not now."

"You can't stay awake every hour of every day," Kakashi replies, sighing. "Seriously, take the rest of the day off and concentrate on your son. I've got everything under control here."

He's right. Naruto has to have finished by now. I need to be there for him . . . and I need to _protect_ him with Kabuto on the loose.

"Find Kabuto," I say. "Please, Kakashi. You need to find him."

"I will," Kakashi says, holding up his hands. "I will, I promise."

"Thank you." I leave then, edging my way past other jonin and then walking through the crowd gathering around the alley, trying to have a peek at what's going on.

Damn it. This is not going according to plan at all. So much has already gone wrong. I'm already dreading the next day. That's the second stage of the exam at the 44th Battle Training Ground, otherwise known as the Forest of Death. It will be so _easy_ for Orochimaru or Kabuto to interfere in that stage.

This better be over with tonight, or close enough to make tomorrow easier, because my nerves already feel fried. How am I going to make it through this month-long Chuunin Exam if I'm already feeling stretched-thin on the first day?

The only answer is no, I'm not. I need to calm down and keep myself level. That's how I'm going to survive this.

And I will. I've survived something even worse than this. And I'll make sure Naruto, Mikoto, and everyone else I care about survives this too.

This is like a game of shougi, a game that has just gotten underway, and both sides have already lost something in the early game. The victor is nowhere close to being decided.

We're just getting started . . .

And I already can't wait to finish.

* * *

I assume no one thought I was actually going to kill Kabuto. He's too good of a character to off like that.

Anyway, next chapter will start a Sasuke stretch. Hope no one minds.


	5. Falling Star

I'm sure this will thrill everyone, but the next three chapters follow Sasuke's POV. At least it isn't jerk!Sasuke, if you want any solace from this.

* * *

**Chapter Five: Falling Star**

_Sasuke Uchiha_

"All right! Listen up! Here's the tenth and _final_ question."

It's become fifteen minutes to go. Ibiki Morino had warned us that the tenth and final question was coming with fifteen minutes to go, and now, here it is.

This has not been an ordinary test. Ibiki's been manipulating us from the start, by giving us nearly-impossible questions to answer, forcing us to cheat to find the answers. But that was the whole point. This isn't a written exam, this is his way of seeing how we discover information, how we see through deception . . . and whether we screw up in the process. That's why we started off with ten points apiece and when we're caught cheating only _two_ points are taken off.

And if one of us fail, the entire team fails too. After all, only one person has to screw up to blow the mission for everyone else. And if someone gets a zero, which means he didn't even try to find the information, the team fails too.

I don't know how Hinata's doing, they placed her in the back. She's a smart girl, though, she's smarter than she thinks she is. Even if she had no real shot at cheating she should be smart enough to answer _some_ of these questions unassisted. Me? I can barely understand what they want, much less figure out the right answer. I had to use my Sharingan on another genin to mimic his writing, and it seems I hit the jackpot, I think all of my answers are correct as a result.

Naruto is the problem. He has had Anko-sensei and his mother tutoring him throughout his years at the Academy, but he _struggled_ to pass written tests. I don't know if he just isn't a classroom guy or it's in one-ear-right-out-the-other or whatever. But that was his weak point. He would do just fine physically (unless he was trying to do something with illusions or clones), but ask him to take a written test? He was close to being toast.

However, he's not dumb. Hopefully he's figured out the point of the test and is trying to figure out some way of cheating.

Problem is, his Chakra Chains are _way_ too damn obvious for this. He can't use them because they make too much noise and in order to use them to gather information he needs to expose it anyway.

There's nothing either Hinata or I can do to help him either. I've thought about trying to use a fire techniques or just hot air to try to activate the water sprinkler system to give Naruto a distraction, but when I looked up to attempt it, I saw out of the corner of my eye one of the sentinels watching me like a hawk. There's no way I can do it.

Hinata had brought a bottle of water to the exam, but the sentinels made her place it on the floor. I am sure Hinata was thinking she could use that Water Needle attack somehow, but I don't think it would've helped that much anyway. I don't really see how tiny little needles would help in gathering information for herself, much less pass it on to Naruto.

So for Naruto, it all rides on this. The tenth and final question.

"But," Ibiki finally says, "Before I give you the tenth question, there are some more rules you need to be aware of."

More rules. Joy. Just what we all need to hear right now.

A lot of ninja have been busted and thrown out of this exam already for cheating. I am sure the rules in this one is meant to be a total mindbender, meant to make even more people drop out.

The back door opens behind us. I turn around and I see Kankuro, the black-cloaked sand genin, re-enter the room. He had left to use the bathroom, though I am sure he was attempting to cheat somehow. Then again, he had that sentinel with him this entire time, I don't see how he could.

"Ah, made it just in time," Ibiki says. "I hope you found your trip to the bathroom _enlightening_."

Sounds like Ibiki's thinking the same thing as I am. He tried to cheat somehow. However, he's not saying Kankuro _failed_. I guess there isn't enough conclusive evidence.

"Well? Take your seat," Ibiki says finally. I guess he isn't going to fail Kankuro no matter how suspicious he is.

When Kankuro sits down, Ibiki begins talking again. "These rules are _unique_ to Question 10. Listen carefully, and try not to let them _frighten_ you."

Wonderful. I am sure half this room is ready to quit already.

He seems to pause for precisely that, to see if anyone is already going to quit. But when no one does, he just nods. "Very well then, rule number one: each of you is free to not take the final question. It's your decision."

Say what? We're free to choose?

Temari, the Sand Village girl from the other day, can't contain herself. "Whoa! What's the catch? Say we don't want to do it! What happens then?"

"If you choose to not take the tenth question, regardless of your answers to the other nine, you'll get a zero." He smiles cruelly. "In other words, you _fail_. And of course, your teammates fail as well."

Great. Well, Naruto and Hinata don't have to worry about me. I'm staying in this. I think Naruto's too stubborn to surrender, and Hinata . . . I think regardless of how she feels, she doesn't want _us_ to fail, so she should stay as well.

There's commotion all over the room, and Ibiki simply says "Not so fast. You didn't let me finish." That kills the commotion, and I brace myself. More rules.

"If you do decide to take the tenth question but answer it incorrectly, you not only fail, but you will be _barred_ from taking the Chuunin Exam ever again!"

"What the hell?" It takes me a moment to realize that I said that out loud, and Ibiki's dark eyes _immediately_ turn on me. Great. Now I'm stuck.

Come on. Speak up. Don't let him scare you. You got this. "There's plenty of other people who've taken the Chuunin Exam before that are here! How can you say that?"

Ibiki chuckles. "I guess you're just _unlucky_. _I_ wasn't making the rules in previous years. But I am now. Of course, if you don't want to take it, you don't have to. If you're not feeling confident, go ahead, skip it. You can come back and try again when the next Exam rolls around."

The smiles fades. "Now then, if you're ready. The tenth and final question: those who don't want to take it raise their hand! Your number will be recorded and then you're free to go."

All right, decision time. I'm thinking this is another game of deception. The obvious answer is that the tenth question is simple and easy. But that would be almost _too_ simple, especially for this guy. I am sure the tenth question is just as difficult as the previous nine. But that's all right. I'll just do what I did for the previous nine and I'll ace it again.

But what about Naruto and Hinata? What are they going to do? There's no way Naruto's gonna quit, he's going to take the question, but if he gets it wrong, it's gonna kill him. A genin is never going to become Hokage which is all he's talks about.

Wait. If I'm thinking that, Hinata has to have realized that too. I shouldn't be worried about Naruto raising his hand, but _Hinata_ giving up to protect Naruto! She'd do that for him!

I turn, and I can see Hinata's left hand slowly begin to go up, and then stop. She's not sure what to do, but she's definitely considering it. Considering it _strongly_. She is definitely putting Naruto first!

People are quitting left and right and taking their teammates with them. That's only piling on the pressure for Hinata to do the same!

Should I want Hinata to raise her hand or not? Maybe I should do it and take the pressure off of her. Protect them both.

I don't know. What's the right call?

Wait.

Wait.

Naruto's . . .

He's actually . . .

I never thought Naruto would raise his hand.

Well. I guess that's it, then. Naruto's had enough. He decided it would be better off to-

Naruto's hand promptly comes down upon the table, pounding it with a decisive _smack_. "Don't underestimate me! I don't quit and I don't run! You can act tough all you want but you're not gonna scare _me_ off! No way! I don't care if I'm stuck as a genin for the rest of my life, I'll _still_ become Hokage someday! Believe it!"

Huh. _Okay_ then. He's still gonna go for it regardless of the consequences. I'm not gonna stop him at this point. I don't think Hinata will either.

Actually, I don't think _anyone_ will now. I think Naruto's given everybody here a backbone. I don't think anyone's scared of the consequences at this point.

Ibiki's still trying to get people to quit. "This decision is one that could change your life! If for any reason you'd rather quit, _now_ is your last chance."

"No way," Naruto replies. "I never go back on my word. That's my ninja way."

"That's my way too!" Fuu says as she stands up from where she is. "There's no way I'm giving up either! I have spent months, _years_ waiting for this one shot! I'm not letting one tough-sounding warning stop me, dang it!"

Well, good luck on getting anyone else to quit at this point, Ibiki. Fuu just confirmed what I thought, Naruto's given everyone some courage. I don't think anyone is going to quit, not after what he just said.

Ibiki looks around the room one final time, and then he nods to the sentinels all around the room. "Well then, I admire your determination if nothing else. For those of you remaining, there's only one thing left to do."

Here we go. Last question. Get that Sharingan ready.

"And that's for me to tell you . . ." He suddenly smiles, and not in that cruel way he's been doing all this time either. "That you've all passed the first exam."

Wait.

What. The. Hell.

Just like that?

Really?

After all of this?

It was that simple?

"What the hell?" Sakura Haruno shouts from somewhere behind me to the left. "What do you mean we passed? Where's the tenth question?"

Ibiki chuckles. "There never was one! Not a written one at least! Actually, your decision to stay was the answer to the tenth question!"

"So you mean I busted my butt cheating to find the answers to the nine questions for absolutely _nothing_?" Fuu cries out.

There's silence for a second as every sentinel as well as Ibiki stare at her.

"Oh wait. I just admitted I cheated, didn't I?" Fuu says softly.

She slams her head on her desk. "Dang it!"

Ibiki seems to disguise a chuckle as he shakes his head. "Don't worry, I'm not going to throw you or your teammates out at this juncture. I've said you passed, didn't I? That's set in stone."

Fuu just responds with an incoherent moan. I'm not surprised. Slamming your head into the desk like that is guaranteed to give you a headache.

"Anyway, the first nine questions did have a definitive purpose, none of you were wasting your time," Ibiki says. "That purpose was to see how you surreptitiously gather strategic intelligence under adverse circumstances."

"Speak in a language we understand!" Naruto yells.

Ibiki chuckles again. "Fine, I'll explain in layman's terms. My objective was not just to test you as individuals, but as a team, and on how well you function as a part of that team. That's why the test was scored on a team basis, so you'd know that everything you did or _failed_ to do would affect your teammates. I wanted to see how you would handle the pressure."

"I knew that all along!" Kiba Inuzuka shouts. "You weren't gonna get me so easily!"

"I could see you quivering from back here, coward!" Sakura replies.

Kiba just looks down, and Akamaru whimpers.

Ibiki continues on. "The first nine questions on the test were difficult . . . in fact, as you may have realized, _too_ difficult for a genin to be expected to solve. I imagine that most of you quickly came to that conclusion, that you would have to cheat if you wanted any chance at passing. The fact is, the test was designed to _encourage_ cheating, it almost demanded it. Though I'm sure a number of you are smart enough to be able to answer _some_ of the questions on your own."

Ibiki chuckles again. "Of course, there was no guarantee any of you would be able to answer these questions. It'd do you little good if there was no one to cheat _from_. So I disguised two chuunin who already knew the answers and had them sit in with you."

Both of the chuunin casually raised their hands. One of them was the person whose handwriting strokes I mimicked. No wonder it looked like I had hit the jackpot. I literally _had_.

"Those who got caught at cheating failed. Better not to cheat than to chear clumsily." Ibiki takes off the bandanna around his head, and suddenly, I am staring at a bald head full of burn marks, puncture wounds and scars. The man has clearly been put through hell. He was clearly taken prisoner at some point and subjected to brutal torture.

"Information," Ibiki says, as if he's just having a casual conversation, "It can be the most valuable weapon in battle. How well you gather intelligence can determine whether your mission is a success or failure. There'll be times you'll have to risk your life to get it."

Ibiki ties the bandanna back around his head. "Of course, you must consider the source of your information. Intelligence gathered from an enemy is not necessarily accurate. _Always_ bear this in mind."

I think I get the lesson he's trying to give us all here. Disinformation is worse than no information at all. That's why he threw so many rules and curveballs at us. He wanted to see how many of us would mess up.

"This is why I put you in the position where you had to gather accurate information, you had to _cheat_ in order to survive. Those that could not were weeded out, leaving the rest of you."

"I still don't get what the tenth question thing was all about," Temari says.

"You're not? The tenth question is the whole point to this exam! Surely you see that!"

I understand the "information" part of all this, but I don't understand the tenth question part either. All I knew was that everything was put on the . . .

Wait, was _that_ it?

"As I said before, the goal was to test you not only as individuals, but part of a squad. The final question gave you two choices: both difficult," Ibiki continues. "You could choose to play it safe and skip the question, though it meant that both you and your teammates would be failed. Or, you could try and answer it, knowing if you got it wrong, you would lose your chance at ever being chuunin. It was a no-win situation, but it's the sort of situation chuunin have to face in the field almost every single time."

That's when smoke erupts from beside Ibiki, and a figure steps from the smoke, and it's . . . Mother?

Wait, what's Mother doing here? What's going on? This doesn't make any sense? Is she a proctor, too? "You're absolutely right, Ibiki," Mother says calmly. "Unfortunately, I have to stop you here. Speaking of the field, you're needed back at it. I'll finish the wrap-up portion for today."

Ibiki chuckles knowingly. "Not even going to allow me to collect the papers, Mikoto?"

Mother sighs. "Go ahead. But you are needed back on duty as soon as possible."

Mother looks at me first, and then I see a small smile briefly cross her face before it vanishes. I guess I should take it as she's happy I passed, but there's something in her eyes that _isn't_happy. It's like she's both nervous and _sad_ for some reason. I don't know why.

"I am the proctor for the second phase of the exam. My name is Mikoto Uchiha," Mother says. "The second phase of the exam will be tomorrow. Please meet me at the 44th Battle Training Grounds at 1 p.m. I will have words and instructions for those of you who passed this first stage. This will be the infamous survival test that has been in every Chuunin Exam since its inception. I suggest you all rest up and eat as healthily as possible, the second test will be much rougher than this one."

Much rougher than this one? It looks like we lost a zillion candidates just in this test alone! How much worse could the second test be?

Naruto looks back at me and mouths _Your mom is the second proctor? Really?_

All I can do is shrug. I don't know why Mother of all people would be proctoring a test. She's very private and doesn't like speaking to crowds, especially after what happened to the clan four years ago. She has to have her reasons for doing this.

One thing I do know, though, it's that it's not to shelter or protect me from the other genin. Mother would never do anything like that. There has to be another reason why she volunteered for this. But what could it be?

That little sad smile crosses Mother's face again. "The second test puts into practice everything you've learned in the first test. This is especially important for you rookies."

She seems to scan the area one last time. "Eighty-four of you passed the first test. That's more than half of you. Unfortunately, I can't say that the ratio will be maintained for the second test. More than half of you _will_ be eliminated during the second stage. That's why it's important to not slack off for the remainder of the day or tomorrow morning. You enter the second stage with your guard down, you're not going to last very long."

Mother sounds so grim. And I'm starting to wonder if she's saying this for _me_ more than the others.

"You are all dismissed," Mother finally says. "Again, meet me at the 44th Battle Training Grounds at 1 p.m. tomorrow. If you do not know where that is, you have the rest of the day and tomorrow morning to find out. Consider it 'extra credit' if you wish."

Did . . . did Mother actually just say a joke?

"Good luck," Mother finally says, and then she vanishes the same way she entered, in a puff of smoke, and _everybody_ is left staring at the smoke as it vanishes.

Naruto walks over to me. "Damn, your mom knows how to leave an impression."

"Yeah. No kidding. How'd you do anyway?" I ask.

Naruto grins. "Hinata filled out a cheat sheet somehow and shot it to me using the Water Needle Technique. Unfortunately, she shot me in the butt. I couldn't sit down any longer, my butt's _killing_ me."

I could have gone my entire life without knowing that, Naruto.

Hinata runs over to us. "Naruto! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, thank you for the cheat sheet," Naruto says with a big dumb grin.

Hinata blushes and looks down. "But I shot you in the butt . . . I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"It's all good. We all passed, didn't we? I just gotta get some ointment or somethin'," Naruto replies, still grinning like he's not in any pain at all.

"Come on, let's just go. There's no reason to stick around here," I reply.

"Sounds like a plan," Naruto says.

It's only when we leave the classroom that Naruto finally yowls in pain. "Oh crap this really _hurts_!" Naruto wails.

"I-I'm sorry!" Hinata cries.

"No, no, you did what you had to do, it's okay!" Naruto groans. "I just couldn't hold it in anymore!"

"There are so many double entendres to what you just said, Naruto," says a voice I know all too well.

I look from Naruto and I see Anko-sensei standing in the middle hall, hands in her pockets. "You guys passed, huh?"

"Yeah, we did," I answer.

Anko-sensei grins wildly. "All right! Group hug time!"

Wait, what-

Ack!

How the heck can she hug all three of us at once and so tightly? It's not like we're little kids anymore!

"I'm proud of you. All three of you. Keep proving the doubters wrong, you guys," Anko-sensei says.

I wasn't aware we had any doubters, other than the usual crowd skeptical about rookies.

I wonder what Anko-sensei means . . .

* * *

It's the first time in a long time there's something resembling a festive atmosphere at Mother's house. It's the evening and we're enjoying a variety of Mother's usual spicy food, though it looks like both Naruto and his mother are gonna faint from spice overload considering how red their faces are getting. Even Hinata looks flushed.

And, of course, Fuu and her team crashed the party and made there there were no seconds for anybody. But that's okay. Fuu seems to be spending her time mostly fetching Naruto and his mother water before they both die from spiced-up throats. Personally, I've gotten used to Mother's spicy cuisine. It's how she's been cooking for a long time now, even in the good days. She just likes spicy food.

"Man, I can't believe you're a proctor!" Anko-sensei exclaims. "You never told me this!"

"It was meant to be a surprise and it was pulled off as planned," Mother replies calmly.

"How'd you get the gig?" Anko-sensei asks.

"The Lord Hokage asked me to act as proctor and I accepted the position," Mother replies. "That's all there is to it, I'm afraid."

"You make it sound so easy," Anko-sensei says.

Mother smiles slightly. "It's not. Far from it. I'd rather not talk about it, a lot of the particulars are classified."

Anko-sensei sighs. "Of course. You older generation types and your need to keep secrets."

"I'm sorry. If it means anything, you've trained your genin well," Mother replies. "I know a lot of people did not expect the genin of such a young and novice jonin to pass. You're even newer than Kurenai Yuhi."

Anko-sensei grins. "It's all good. I look forward to them all kicking ass tomorrow. Twenty-eight teams got in, I'm kinda shocked to be honest. Ibiki must be getting soft."

"He's not," Mother replies. "It's a stronger crop of candidates this year. More numerous than previous years too, the largest batch trying to qualify in five years. Even some of the hopeless cases managed to get through our screening on dumb luck or raw guts. At least Ibiki managed to weed _them_ out. I think all that's left are the truly dedicated."

"Yeah, but I was kind of hoping to avoid preliminaries this year," Anko says. "Though I've been in that training ground. We call it the Forest of Death for a reason. A lot of genin are probably gonna get wiped out. Not my bunch though."

Great. This training ground has a forboding nickname too. Just what I needed to hear. Your little grins and compliments aren't exactly helping me right now, Anko-sensei.

"I don't see how we're going to avoid preliminaries," Mother replies softly. "Just too many candidates."

Mother suddenly looks at me, and then back to Anko-sensei. "I'd rather not discuss this in front of everyone else. Can we drop the subject?"

Anko-sensei suddenly notices me and scratches the back of her head awkwardly. "Oh right. Sorry, Sasuke. Don't worry about a thing, 'kay? The 44th Battle Training Ground is _nothing _compared to the Land of Snow and Ame. You guys survived those two places, you'll survive this one. I mean it."

Considering the massive free-for-all in the Land of Snow, and in Ame, it turned into urban warfare where death could come from any corner, that's a real high bar the 'Forest of Death' would have to clear. I'm not exactly reassured here.

Nevertheless, I still manage a "Thank you, Anko-sensei." She _does_ have a lot of confidence in us. I hope that's a good thing.

Mother walks by me. "Can I speak to you outside for a moment, Sasuke?"

"Uh, yes, Mother." There's no conversations I'm really involved in right now, I'm kinda drifting in and out of them right now anyway.

So I follow her outside.

* * *

"Mother, what is it?" I ask the moment I close the door to the inside.

Mother's gazing at the stars above us. "Sasuke, do you honestly feel like you're ready to take the second test?"

"Yes, Mother." That's out of the question at this point. I may be nervous, but everyone I can think of besides Naruto and maybe Kiba is going to be at least a _little_ nervous.

There's that slight, sad smile again, gently crossing her face. "I see. It isn't just conjecture. Somehow Anko Mitarashi turned out to be a better sensei than I expected. That's good."

"You didn't think she would be a good sensei?" I ask.

"No. I thought she needed more seasoning before becoming a sensei. She's not even twenty-five. She needs more time. And then there is the mark on her neck. I can't quite trust someone who's been marked by Orochimaru. No matter how hard she fights it, it's there, and I'm afraid it'll get unleashed someday."

She sighs. "Then again, she's proven herself, so who am I to question her skill or her methods."

Mother looks at me then. Her dark eyes seem to be seeing through me, and even though her voice is soft it feels like a cold breeze is going down my spine. "Sasuke, I know your sensei is confident in your ability. I would be too under ordinary circumstances. But circumstances are not ordinary here. I would like you to withdraw from the exam."

Mother can't be seriously telling me to do this. Especially after I've already made it this far! "Mother, I can't do that! I won't do it to Naruto or Hinata or my sensei! I'm not quitting on them!"

"There are things going on beyond your control, Sasuke," Mother replies. "I can't say much more. But I would feel much safer if you withdrew. It is not just you that you'd be protecting, you'd be keeping your teammates safe as well."

Why is Mother so worried? Doesn't she understand? "Mother, after hearing what Naruto said in the classroom just now, I can't quit on him. I'm not going to prevent him from getting closer to his dream. I'm not going to fail Hinata either. She deserves to make it as far as she can. She should have a chance to prove how exceptional she truly is to the rest of her clan."

Mother doesn't answer me. She just nods slightly.

"Mother, I will not fail my teammates. I'm their leader. They're counting on me and to quit on them is like saying I don't believe in them."

"That's not what's going on at all," Mother replies. "You're not letting your teammates down by withdrawing Team 7 from the exam."

She still doesn't understand. "Withdrawing from the exam also tells my sensei she did not train me well enough. I'm telling her that I don't have confidence in her training or in her own judgment. She believes I'm ready for this exam, and withdrawing tells her that I don't believe in her."

Mother sighs and looks up at the stars again. "You really want to go through with this, don't you, Sasuke? Just because you want to show you believe in others?"

"It's not just that. It's because I believe I can pass the second stage of the exam too. Team 7 is strong enough to make it through the second stage, Mother, no matter what the obstacles are."

Mother looks down then, staring at the grass and bushes that ring our house. We no longer live in the Uchiha enclave, we've long abandoned that place and it's largely fallen into ruin. Our home is modest in comparison, two stories, ringed by outdoor walkways.

Finally, Mother sighs. "If that is what you believe, Sasuke, I will not stop you from taking part in the second stage."

"Thank you, Mother."

Then suddenly Mother's dark eyes turn right at me and they are filled with a raw, brutal intensity I've almost never seen from her before. It actually makes me back away a step, like she could attack me at a moment's notice, as ridiculous as it is to feel that.

"Since you are taking part in the second stage, you better heed this advice, Sasuke. Survival takes precedence over passing the exam. Your life, and the lives of your teammates, are far more valuable than advancing through the Chuunin Exam. If you think for even a moment that you and your team can't win, then hunker down and wait it out until the exam is over. You can always try again next year. You will never have Naruto and Hinata as teammates again if you lose one or both of them in this stage. Is that clear?"

"Y-Yes, Mother." I can't argue with this one. She means every word she says and I can't disagree with it. She's right, absolutely right. Naruto and Hinata are human lives, completely irreplaceable. If I send them into a bad situation and they get killed, there is no one to blame but myself. I'm the leader, and I chose to continue through the exam despite stern warnings from the second stage's own proctor, aka, Mother.

"And everything what I just said goes _double_ for you, Sasuke. You are the only chance the Uchiha clan has of ever reviving itself. Everything rests on you. Above all else, _live_," Mother says.

"Yes, Mother." Can't argue with that one either. I have no plans to die in this exam, much less the exam my own mother is proctoring.

Mother gives me a short embrace but lets go before I can put my arms around her. "I need to go inside, Sasuke. But thank you for telling me how you feel. It helps."

She walks away then, and closes the door behind her.

What's that all about? What's she mean by that? I swear, Mother gets more mysterious by the day.

I know she's worried about me, though she has funny ways of showing it sometimes. I still remember her forgetting to attend my own academy graduation, and it wasn't until I came back to the village after Mizuki injured me that she and I actually saw each other that day.

I know she drifts off sometimes. She can get completely lost in thought. I don't know what she thinks about. Maybe she's reliving the night our clan got massacred. I know she saw a lot more of what happened than I did.

And I know she is worried that someday Itachi might come for me and kill me, or those rumored associates of Itachi's too.

I can't be afraid. I'm a ninja, just like Mother. I can't think about what Itachi did and what he took from me or whether he or any of his allies might come and murder me. I have to block it all out and get to work. That's what I do every single day. If I don't, I know I'll just turn into Mother, always drifting off, sometimes obsessed with revenge.

I can't be a good leader when my mind is elsewhere. I must remain focused solely on the mission, solely on my teammates, who are basically my _friends_ at this point. Heck, if Konohamaru and his pals who admire me for some reason come up to me, my mind's on them, too. It's the best way to live until I'm in a position to do something about what's been done to my family, to Mother, to _me_.

So I smile at people. So I worry about Mother and how distant she is sometimes. So I push it all away from my mind and think about everyone else around me. So I try to push the best out of Naruto and Hinata. That's how I should be. That's how I'm going to be.

It's worked well so far, even on the missions that have gone dramatically wrong. Every single time, Team 7 comes back and is stronger than before. That's how it's going to go this time, too.

All right. For now, go back inside. Just try to enjoy the remainder of the night and live the best you can.

Something tells me that this will be the last night I'll be able to do that for a while . . .

* * *

The next chapter kicks off Round 2. It's going to be different from canon. Majorly different.


	6. Survival Examination

Part two of the Sasuke POV segment. One more chapter after this one.

'Course, things are about to get more interesting. You guys are going to know why Sasuke's POV is so important in the beginning of this fic.

* * *

**Chapter Six: Survival Examination**

"Geez, Sasuke! You like packed enough stuff for an army! How're you gonna carry all of that?" Naruto cries.

"I'm not," I reply. "The three of us are gonna split this up. Remember all of the survival training Anko-sensei had us do? We need nutrients and calories to keep ourselves going, especially if we can't hunt or catch anything to eat. Same with the water. We don't know if the water in that forest is safe to drink."

"It looks doable, Naruto," Hinata says. "It looks like there's only enough for a few days."

"I think that's all we're gonna need, a few days, maybe a week," I say. "It wouldn't be much of a 'survival test' if they were just going to do this for a few hours, I think."

Naruto sighs and folds his arms. "Always gotta be a smarty-pants."

He looks at the knapsack designated for him. "Oh, fine! I'll take it!"

Naruto looks somewhat embarrassed as he slings the supplies over his shoulder, and Hinata just giggles softly.

It looks like I'm not the only one who's thought the same thing. It looks like Fuu's done the same thing, or, rather, Fuu's teammate, Kanna, who definitely looks like she's done this before. Some of the others, who clearly look like veterans of the exam, have definitely stocked up, even more than I have. I don't know if it's paranoia or simply being prepared, but it looks like a ton of us are prepared to be stuck in this forest for the long haul.

I admit that part of the reason why I put together three sacks of supplies isn't because of foresight. The initial motivation was to show Mother that I'm not going to be careless, and then it hit me that it would be a good idea to bring as much as possible into the survival test without hindering myself. Bringing weapons, food, water, a water purifier if you have to drink from a river or pond . . . it all works.

Others look like they have packed light or not at all. That includes Gaara and his Sand teammates. I can't help but think it's _not_ inexperience that is guiding their decisions there. From the cold, merciless look in Gaara's blue eyes, I think they're planning on passing this test as quickly as possible by eliminating teams and then stealing what they bring with them. Risky but if they're really good at what they do they can pull it off.

The other Konoha rookies have clustered around us, and Fuu and Ryuuzetsu's teams have also joined us in the same general area. I get the feeling there's some sort of alliance forming between us without most of us being aware of it. Not surprising, since we're all rookies besides a few key members.

Ryuuzetsu seems to be doing what Kabuto intended to do yesterday and that's to dispense advice. "Every Chuunin Exam has this, the survival test. They always attach a multi-stage objective of some kind to it. You got a destination to go to, but there's something you gotta bring there. One year, it was almost like 'capture the flag', another year, it was a bunch of escort missions being arrayed against each other. You're gonna be stuck in there for at least a day, probably longer."

"I hope I brought enough snacks," Choji says. He immediately begins pulling stuff out of his own sack. "Burrito, check. Potato chips, check. Strawberry layer cake, _good_."

Ryuuzetsu just _blinks_ at that like her mind's been blown. "I did _not_ just see you yank _cake_ out of your pack."

"Hey! I gotta eat!" Choji says.

Ryuuzetsu puts her palm to her face. Her teammates just _laugh_.

"Look, they're going to throw some wrinkles in this year to make sure they're going to whittle down the teams," Ryuuzetsu says after she removes her palm from her face. "There's way too many of us involved in this second stage. Usually there's maybe ten, twelve teams. There's _twenty-eight_ teams this time. There's no way they intend to let all of us pass."

"Hey," the oldest member of our little group, Kanna, says, "The more people there are that means we get to choose our battles. From the looks of it nearly every team that came here from the Hidden Rain Village qualified for this one. I'd watch out for those guys."

"The Hidden Rain Village genin are typically the most ruthless and the most paranoid," Ryuuzetsu says. "Not surprising considering the ruler of the Hidden Rain is Hanzo, an infamously paranoid and unpredictable man. I would be _very_ careful if I was going to ambush them."

"That just means they won't see it coming," Kiba says confidently. "My team _rocks_ at survival. Them Rain genin don't mean nothin'."

"Be my guest," Ryuuzetsu says with a bit of a knowing look in her eye. "Actually, what I would be worried about is _being_ ambushed. We're probably perceived as the easiest marks in this exam."

"I'm certainly not," Sakura growls. "I don't know about the rest of you but I'm not."

"I'm not questioning your ability," Ryuuzetsu says. "What I'm saying is that take a look at the makeup of our squads. The only two people here who've taken the Exam before are Kanna over there and myself. Everyone else is are rookies. It's natural to think the rookies, who are generally younger and less experienced, would be the easiest to wipe out."

A new voice. Female, textured, odd. "I don't know. The veterans can be easy prey if they let their guard down."

Ryuuzetsu gasps and spins around, and we're all staring at another Kusa ninja with long dark hair.

"Shiore!" Ryuuzetsu shouts. "What do you want?"

The ninja Ryuuzetsu called 'Shiore' just chuckles. "You talk to an ally as if she's an enemy, Ryuuzetsu?"

"Not if you're trying to sneak up on me," Ryuuzetsu says. She's not letting her guard down, though.

"Shiore's being creepier than usual," Tadashi Obata groans. Despite his defiant tone, both he and Sango Saijima are hiding behind Ryuuzetsu a bit. Not that I blame them.

Shiore chuckles again. "I just wanted to have a look at this year's rookies. You seem to have gathered them all around you, Ryuuzetsu."

"I'm sick of rookies getting killed every exam," Ryuuzetsu says. "I know this from personal experience. You witnessed my teammates being murdered during my rookie attempt and didn't raise a hand to help."

Shiore smiles. "Perhaps if you had trained harder perhaps they wouldn't have died."

"_What_?" Ryuuzetsu looks ready to slice Shiore's throat open right then and there, and her teammates both grab her to hold her back.

Fuu looks ready to start a fight right now. "What the heck is wrong with you?"

Shiore's already walking away. "I'm just making observations. Am I not allowed to do that?"

Kanna steps in front of Fuu. "Fuu, don't bother. This isn't a fight worth having. That woman is out of our league."

Ryuuzetsu relaxes once Shiore's vanished right into the crowd. "Damn it. She seems to get more screwed up every year."

She looks at everyone else. "That's enough of this gathering, last thing you all need is someone worse than Shiore identifying every single rookie in this second stage. Just keep my advice in mind when this gets underway."

The group breaks up then, going in their own separate directions, but as that happens Mother makes it to the front of the crowd, a few ninja including Naruto's mother standing beside her.

Mother's eyes look distant, almost sad. I get the feeling she doesn't want to do this at all. Perhaps she's thinking about _me_.

Her voice is strong, however. It can carry without her shouting a single word. "All right, all of you, listen up. I'm only going to say this once, and I'm not taking any questions, so no interrupting or you'll be disqualified on the spot."

Whoa. No questions at all? No wait, that's what she's hoping for! She's hoping for a loudmouth like Naruto to question her so she can throw Naruto out of the exam and take my team out with him! She's still trying to figure out a way to keep me from taking part in this test!

I look over at Naruto, and he's biting his lip. He badly wants to say something but he's forcing himself to keep his mouth shut. All right, that's good. Even Naruto knows when to keep his mouth shut.

Mother finally nods. "All right, good. I'll explain this to you all then. This is the 44th Battle Training Ground, otherwise known as the 'Forest of Death'. This is where the second stage of the Chuunin Exams will be held. I have brought with me some consent forms due to the lethality of many of the confrontations, the Leaf Village will not take responsibility for any injuries or deaths suffered in this test. I am going to have them passed around, read them and sign them. Refusal to sign means you are disqualified."

I bet Mother's severely tempted to not give me a consent form at all so I'm disqualified by default. Would she really do that, though? Go that far to ensure my safety from something she won't even tell me about?

Mother sighs softly. "All right, since I don't have any refusals, I'll go right into the terrain of the 44th Battle Training Ground. Around the ground there are forty-four entrances into the training field. In the center is a locked tower, located ten kilometers from each entrance. In-between all of that is dense forest and multiple rivers. This is where you will all be contesting an anything-goes battle for _these_."

Mother takes out a dark blue scroll and a white scroll, and holds each of them in her hands.

"You'll be trying to get your hands on an Earth Scroll and a Heaven Scroll," Mother says. "You'll be starting with one of these scrolls, and your mission is to obtain the other without losing yours. Since there are twenty-eight teams, half of you will receive the Heaven Scroll to start, and the other half will start with the Earth Scroll. Your mission is to obtain the other scroll to complete the set. In other words, those that start with a Heaven Scroll will need to take an Earth Scroll, and vice versa."

Mother's eyes are getting really shifty. What is she looking for? She keeps scanning the crowd. She has to be looking for something, or _someone_. It's making me nervous.

"Your goal after obtaining both scrolls is to head to the central tower, where you will be allowed to open the scrolls and pass the test. There is a time limit of five days to pull this off, and regardless of what happens to you, you are not allowed to quit the exam. You are stuck in that forest until you pass, in which you can spend the remainder of the time relaxing and recuperating in the tower . . . or until time's up. The only exception is if one of your team members is so incapacitated that he or she cannot finish the test, in which you will be disqualified and will be allowed to leave the grounds."

Now I'm beginning to understand why Mother did not want me here. These rules are _strict_, and they seem designed to make sure people get killed. It doesn't add up, though. The Chuunin Exam is a rite of passage. There's got to be something else going on here, something I'm not quite seeing. Something beyond all of this.

"Finally, opening the scrolls before you enter the tower is strictly forbidden, and no, I will not say what the consequences are beyond disqualification. This is to test your trustworthiness when handling classified information. I pray you all have had enough experience that you recognize this responsibility."

Mother falls silent again. She seems to be scanning the crowd. She doesn't like something, I can tell. But I don't know what it is.

Her voice just sounds slightly edgier. "All right, read and sign your consent forms and turn them in to the shack when you're done. When your team turns them in, you will be handed one of the scrolls, and then you can proceed to the gate of your choice and wait for the signal to go. Don't take too much time."

Okay. I can definitely tell she thinks something is wrong. I don't know if the rest of the crowd can notice this, but I know Mother well. She's not just on edge. She's nervous. Scared. Like she's ready to fight.

Damn it, now she's making me nervous too. All right, all right. Don't panic. Just sign the consent form. You know what it says anyway, Mother basically explained it. Just sign it and hand it over.

They just approached me. Just sign the consent form like so.

Okay. Now just keep control of yourself. Mother's definitely walking through the crowd right now. She seems ready to launch an attack at a moment's notice.

Damn it, Mother. What are you looking for? What's wrong here?

"Your mom seems nervous," Hinata says as we walk over to our shack.

"I know," I say. "I think she's looking for something wrong but she hasn't quite seen it."

"I wish she'd stop acting so freaky and just get it over with," Naruto grumbles. "I'm gettin' kinda more scared of her than the stupid forest."

But nothing happens. No disturbances at all.

The shack is covered to prevent other ninja from peering inside at anything resembling a decent angle. It's pretty clear why that is. No one will know what scroll each team is carrying and which member of the team has possession of it. Smart, and it ensures an even playing field.

"Konoha Team 7," I say to the ninja behind the desk as I hand out the consent forms.

"All righty then." The ninja briefly studies the forms before putting them in a file folder. It's not long before he pulls out a white scroll. "Heaven Scroll for you three."

I look over at Hinata. "Do you mind if you carry it? I think you'd be considered the least likely person in the squad to carry this."

"Um, no, I don't mind, Sasuke. I can do that." Hinata takes the scroll and hides it in her sweatshirt. That's about the best place I can think of for her to hide the scroll.

"Which gate do you want to start at?" the ninja asks us.

There's a map arrayed of the terrain right at the desk. I could see several other gates already marked off, that has to be where other teams are starting.

There's no indication of _what_ team's selected which gate, but as I stare at the map, I see that Gates 15 and 16 both have squads entering the map. They're both starting close to the river, which looks like it leads towards the central tower.

I think I can see what they're thinking. I also think there's a way I can take advantage of that.

"Gate 12," I reply.

"I'll instruct a chuunin to wait for you there," the ninja says. "Good luck."

"Thanks," I reply.

"We won't need luck," Naruto says confidently. "We got more than enough skills to win this thing, easy."

The ninja gets a curious look in his eye. In fact, he even smirks. "You have no idea how many rookies say that, kid."

This second test gets more and more foreboding each time somebody talks to us about it. I'm getting really sick and tired of it.

"Oh man," Naruto moans. "Don't tell me we just got seriously bad karma or something."

The ninja just chuckles at that and shooes us away with his hand.

"New rule," I say. "We don't talk to anyone else about how easy or difficult this exam is."

"Good rule," Naruto says. "This test is getting _way_ too freaking creepy."

On our way to Gate 12, we pass by Fuu's squad. She gives us the thumbs-up, and Naruto returns it.

"Betcha we'll make it to the tower first!" Naruto shouts.

"You wish! We'll get there in a few hours easy!" Fuu replies.

"I'll get there in one hour!" Naruto responds.

"A half-hour!" Fuu replies.

"Ten minutes!" Naruto says with finality.

"Break it up you two," Kanna groans. "Just for the record, the shortest amount of time it's taken to pass this exam is five hours thirty seven minutes. We're gonna be a while no matter how short or long the mission is."

The boy on their team, Kyuzo chuckles. "Doesn't matter to me. I'm good at survival."

"_Everyone_ thinks they're good at survival until they actually try it," Kanna replies.

Kyuzo groans. "Come on, Kanna. Always gotta be a downer?"

"I've done this several times, Kyuzo. It's much, much harder than you think," Kanna replies.

I take note of their gate number. 10. They're not starting very far from what we are.

I don't necessarily want to fight Fuu and her teammates for their scroll. Fuu was a friend and ally back in the Snow mission. She's still a friend now. But if it comes down to her and us, I'm gonna have to choose _us_. Problem is, it's probably a dumb decision to go after her since she's a jinchuuriki. She has a lot of raw power, I saw it firsthand during the Snow mission, and while she'll be reluctant to unleash it upon us I'm sure she will if we keep pressing her for her scroll.

Still, we're starting fairly close together. There's a good chance we're gonna bump into each other early on. If so, do I let her go, or do I strike?

I'll have to pull a Naruto and play this one by ear. I'm not going to kill them, I know that much. Still, Fuu and that Tailed Beast inside her . . .

She _did_ say that her Tailed Beast was big enough to eat people if I recall correctly . . .

Maybe it's best to let sleeping beasts lie.

"We need to get going," I finally say. "Just saying good luck to you guys out there."

"Thanks, Sasuke. You guys do good too. I want to face you guys in the final round," Fuu replies.

"Looking forward to it," I say, and then I lead my team away.

Naruto says what I'm thinking about. "I can't be the only one who thought about ambushing them."

"I think it _all_ popped into our heads," Hinata replies.

"We're not doing it. Not unless we have no choice," I say. I guess I have the final word on this. "She's a friend, and even if she wasn't, she has that Tailed Beast inside her. She's more powerful than the three of us put together."

Naruto gives me a weird look. "When you put it that way . . ."

He looks back at Fuu. "Man, she's probably going to breeze through this exam. All she's gotta do is that flying thing and there's no way anyone's gonna stop her. Especially if there's water nearby so she can form that Water Slicing Blade."

"I guess there's a reason why she's so confident," Hinata says softly.

We make it around towards Gate 12. A gray-suited chuunin is already waiting for us, and he's glancing at his watch. I know we were one of the last teams to get our scroll. "All right, all we do now is wait," I say.

"I can't wait," Naruto says. "Everybody in there can give me the best shot they've got. I'll send it right back at them, twice as hard!"

"You're really confident too," Hinata says.

"These guys can do their worst, they're not gonna scare me away!" Naruto proclaims. "I can handle anything!"

Hinata just giggles at that and she looks away, blushing. I think I'm finally understanding her crush on Naruto. She just likes his honesty and confidence, it probably makes her feel like she can 'handle anything' too.

I look back at the gate. "Any clue when we're starting?"

"Any minute now," the chuunin replies. "The last team is approaching their gate as we speak."

All right. Not much time left.

"I'll take point," I say. "You guys follow me. Naruto, your Chakra Chains are going to be pretty useful in tying any enemies up. Hinata, use your Byakugan to detect any enemies coming our way. We find them, take them down, tie them up, take their scroll. We do it as many times as it takes until we have a complete set."

"Last team has arrived at the gate. You have thirty seconds," the chuunin says to us. He turns and unlocks the gate.

I feel really nervous. Like my nerves are clinging to my bones. I want to run into that forest and I also want to turn tail and run. Fight or flight. I've never felt it so intensely before, not even in the Land of Snow. In the Land of Snow, I had some security with Ms. Uzumaki and Anko-sensei and knowing I had many other allies. Here, I just have Naruto and Hinata, and it's against everyone else inside that forest.

Come on. Open the gate. Let's get it over with.

Think about the map. Think about where it's most likely people are going to go. Where those other teams at Gates 15 and 16 are starting . . .

The river!

Just as that occurs to me, the chuunin opens the gates. "Konoha Team 7, go!"

"Follow me!" I race off into the forest, Naruto and Hinata right on my heels.

* * *

"Naruto, Hinata, I think I figured out where most of the early fighting's gonna happen," I say as we jump through several of the trees before landing on ground floor.

"Where?" Naruto asks.

"I think a lot of people are gonna head to the river," I say. "The river passes by the tower which is the only focal point in this place. The river is also the only place where there's any significant clearings so we can gain any sense of direction. So I think a lot of people are gonna head to the river and they're gonna wind up fighting each other."

"We're not gonna get involved in that, are we?" Hinata asks.

"No. It's gonna be a bloodbath. I do know that there's two teams starting right on the river, though, and we're going to come up upon one of them at an angle," I reply. "If they keep going straight ahead, we're going to bump into them."

"Oh I see. Get the jump on them while they're following the river," Hinata replies.

"Exactly. Hinata, activate your Byakugan. Tell me the moment you see them."

"Right, Sasuke! Byakugan!"

After it activates, we charge off through the forest again. I don't want to put too much strain on Hinata early, though, so it's important that we find some targets and take them out. After that, I guess the only plan is to hunker down for a little bit and wait for the bloodbath by the tower to end before we try to sneak in there and win.

"There! They're to our northwest!" Hinata says.

"They're movin' faster than us!" Naruto says.

"Don't worry about it, let's get on their tail! Naruto, you'll make the first move, use your Chakra Chains!" I shout.

"Got it, pretty boy!" I let Naruto and Hinata take the front, Hinata to guide Naruto, and Naruto to get in position to make the first strike.

I don't sense anything coming up from behind. Not yet.

Just get ready. We're already gonna have a scroll and be able to pass right away. Maybe Naruto's right. Maybe we will be done in ten minutes.

No, wait, it's already been more than ten. Well, this will still be pretty quick.

Naruto stops, and then he shouts "Chakra Chains Technique!"

Two chains spring from his back and make a beeline right for a target I can't see yet. I hear someone cry out in surprise, and I know the battle's on. The guy's teammates are caught off guard, and they're gonna try to help their teammate.

Concentrate. Get the Sharingan ready. Be ready to . . .

Here come his pals!

"Hinata, get the one on the right! I got the left!" I focus my chakra on increasing my running speed until I'm literally about to plow right into the guy.

I draw a kunai at the last second and position it in front of me. The guy sees me coming just before I hit him, but all he can do by dodging me is get his left arm stabbed instead of his stomach or chest.

He screams.

I use my momentum to spin and kick my enemy in the side and I send him crashing through the woods. I'm winning. I can't give him a chance to recover.

He staggers to his feet. He looks young. Almost as young as me. Wears a Hidden Rain Village forehead protector.

He stands no chance in hell.

I knee him in the stomach and then bring both my fists on top of his head. My hands cry out in pain but I'm sure it's minimal compared to what this guy is feeling . . . well, until he falls unconscious.

All right. This is already over with. Who else is left?

"Got the others!" Naruto shouts cheerfully. He walks over to me, the other two ninja wrapped up in his chains, their mouths covered and their bodies completely immobile. One of them looks like they've been beaten up by Hinata a bit, it's good to know she played her part in the ambush.

"Okay. We need these guys tied up and we need to find their scroll. We also need to make it so they don't come after us right away. You're not disqualified for not having a scroll," I say. "Not until the five days is over."

Another scream, sounds like a male one, from the woods nearby, then rustling, then _cracks_ like branches snapping. There's even a loud _slam_ like a tree may have just fallen in the woods.

Then there's silence. Deafening silence.

"W-What was _that_?" Hinata asks softly.

"Sounds like someone else got nailed," I say. "Nailed _hard_. Come on, before we become the next mark."

We search the bags they had brought with them, and Hinata reluctantly knocks the other two ninja unconscious so Naruto doesn't have to waste his chakra restraining them.

"Found it!" Naruto shouts. "What scroll do we got?"

He pulls out the scroll . . . and it's white.

Damn it. We're not done yet.

"They have the Heaven Scroll . . . and that's exactly what we got," I say.

"Crap." Naruto folds his arms. "What do we do with _this_ thing then?"

"Keep it. Use it as bartering against a stronger enemy who needs it or we can use it as a distraction or something. We only need one Heaven Scroll."

"Ah. Got it." Naruto pockets the second Heaven Scroll then.

Great. I was hoping we had a shot at ending this quickly and getting to relax the rest of this test out in the tower. It was a fifty-fifty chance, and it went the wrong way. Now we need to do this all over again, and the next time the enemies may not be taken as off guard as these guys were.

"Less than half of the teams are gonna pass now because of what we did," Hinata says.

"We all knew that was gonna happen," I reply. "Come on. We're way too close to the river. Let's back off a bit and reset before we go after another target."

That's when something seems to slice across my face. I feel it, a thin, throbbing little line of pain, right across my cheek.

What? What's going-

Wind. Lots of it.

Hurricane-force.

"What the heck?" Naruto shouts.

"Get out of the way!" I shout. The wind's getting even stronger, in fact-

I see Naruto use his chains to pull Hinata out of the way as a new force of wind comes directly as me.

There's no way I can get out of the way in time.

My feet leave the ground.

The world spins. Seems to spin forever.

I hit something _hard_.

The world's upside down. My head feels like it's gonna split open.

Ow.

Damn it, I want to throw up. What the hell hit us? Some kind of Wind ninjutsu?

Get up. You've clearly been thrown a long way. Focus. Make sure your Sharingan is turned on. Make a beeline right for Naruto and Hinata before-

Wait.

Wait.

What's . . .

Hissing sounds.

Dark yellow eyes emerge from the forest.

Branches and bushes snap apart as they are crushed.

Oh, _crap_.

Snake.

Giant snake.

And it's not Anko-sensei's "sweetie" either.

A brown snake with yellow eyes, a giant constrictor, that looks as large as a house, is directly in front of me, coiled around a tree branch, and staring right at me.

I'm in trouble.

Big trouble.

It's gonna attack. I can see how it's rearing back, how it's beginning to open its jaw.

This thing is _huge_. Bigger than Anko-sensei's snake and I thought _that_ snake was huge! It was big enough for Anko-sensei to stand up on top of it! This constrictor is even bigger than that!

This is not meant to just capture me and take my scroll! It's meant to _kill_ me! It's going to eat me and leave me as snake crap in the middle of the woods!

Like hell! I'm not gonna-

Its mouth opens.

And it lunges right for me.

I desperately make the hand signs for my only way out of this.

It's right on top of me.

And I see its throat.

* * *

Evil cliffhanger syndrome strikes again.

Next chapter: It's You-Know-Who time! Kekekekekekekeke.


	7. Fangs

Happy Labor Day from here in the USA. Here's a chapter full of mood whiplash for you. Seriously.

Remember that Sasuke learned Crystal techniques back in the Redeemer fic. And yes, it will be justified later on. Hopefully in this fic itself and not in another sequel.

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Fangs**

"Crystal Style! Jade Crystal Prison Technique!"

The crystals shoot up and encase the snake's head and part of his neck as it's about to bite me. Already, I feel exhausted and drained. I may have copied some of Guren's ninjutsu, but my chakra hasn't developed enough for me to use them consistently. Still, I didn't have any other choice. If I had used one of my fire ninjutsu the snake still would've plowed right into me, if not eaten me outright. I'd be eaten _and_ on fire. Not a good combination.

The crystals shatter, taking the snake's head with it, and the rest of the snake's body falls limp, blood leaking from where the crystals had ended. The smell is disgusting but I quickly block it out and walk away from the new carcass. I have seen and smelled far worse than what's happened to this snake. Plus it helps that it's an animal, not a human being.

I wonder how Anko-sensei would react if she saw that in person. I'm not entirely sure.

Still, at least her time siccing her "sweetie" on us taught me how to get used to giant snakes. That's why I didn't freeze up and let the thing eat me. Still, this is _not_ Anko's "sweetie" that I just killed. And it looks too big to be a snake of this world, even by giant constrictor standards. That means this snake was summoned to our world.

Who else has a summoning contract for snakes besides Anko-sensei? Who?

No, no, can't worry about that. Worry about the others. I need to find the others. Hopefully I wasn't knocked _too_ far from them.

Run. Summon the energy and run right back to where you came. There's no time to waste. Go as fast as you can. You're a sitting duck all alone, and they aren't much better off. Plus they have both of our Heaven Scrolls.

Keep going! Keep going! Hopefully they haven't been killed!

There! I see them! And . . .

What the hell?

What am _I_ doing there with them already?

Crap.

Now what do I do? I bet the ninja that fired that hurricane-force wind is the one that's masquerading as me right now!

He's even got my voice down. "Listen, we need to get _away_ from this area and fast. I got thrown close to a battle. It's a total massacre. We need to wait it out."

"Whatever you say, man." Naruto's trying to act all casual, but there's an edge in his body language. Hinata looks a bit edgy too. They can tell something's _off_ but they don't know _what_.

"Sounds good. Follow me, so we can-"

I am not letting you finish that sentence, bastard!

I take a kunai and chuck it at him and he jumps away. "Damn it! Told you someone was there!"

"Yeah. Me." I step out into the open then, looking at the _not_-me directly in his copy of my eyes.

Huh. Seeing myself completely, fully realized in front of me gives me a weird pit in my stomach. This guy's good, he hasn't dropped the facade yet. Often with genin you can destroy the transformation technique by startling them or injuring them. Clearly catching this guy off guard isn't going to be good enough.

"What? _Two_ Sasukes? I thought one of you pretty boys was bad enough!" Naruto shouts.

"Naruto . . . I think one of them's a fake," Hinata says.

"Oh, I know that," Naruto says, a silly little grin on his face. "I've just been waiting my entire life to say something like that."

Well, one thing's for sure. That's the real Naruto.

Now, for this guy.

"So, trying to pretend to be _me_ to lure my teammates into a trap? Not a bad go at it. You haven't dropped your transformation technique yet," I say.

"Shut up! You're the one pretending to be me!" the _not_-me replies. "Though I'll admit that took some guts, to transform into me and then accuse _me_ of being the fake right off the bat."

"Oh God, the Sasukes are in love with each other," Naruto moans.

"Shut up, Naruto!" What's unnerving is that the other guy says the exact same thing at the same time. He's doing a good job mimicking me. _Too_ good. Has he been watching me, before the exam even began?

I have to get this settled and this guy exposed. There's a classic way out of this, however.

"I think it's clear that the only way to end this is to say something only the _real_ Sasuke would know, and have Naruto and Hinata confirm it," I say. "So, try this one for size! Who was my first kill?"

"It was a _half_-kill," the _not_-me replies. "I shared it with Fuu from the Hidden Waterfall Village. I stabbed him in the gut, and she stabbed him through the chest."

Crap. How does he know _that_? This is getting really damn creepy.

"He's right," Hinata says softly. "He's right."

"I'll take your word for it, Hinata," Naruto says softly. They're _both_ looking at me now.

The _not_-me smiles. "Not bad, huh? Now one for _you_. Mother and Naruto's mother are best friends, they hang out all the time. What restaurant did they take us two the night we graduated?"

A trick question. Not bad. "We didn't go to a restaurant. Both Naruto and I spent the night on a hospital bed, injured. If anything we had either hospital food or what our mothers bought us."

"Oh come on! _You_ gotta be right too?" Naruto cries. "Don't tell me you're _both_ the real Sasuke! 'Cause that'll just blow my mind!"

"Don't worry about it, Naruto! I got him for sure now!" I say. "You! Who was hit first with Anko-sensei's One Thousand Years of Death?"

The _not_-me _blinks_. I got him. He's gonna have to guess.

"Naruto-" He starts, but all of a sudden Naruto's Chakra Chains rush out and encase him before he can finish.

"Wrong," I say. "You shouldn't even have to think about it. It was _me_."

I didn't like having to trudge up _that_ memory, but it was the best I got. And I caught him right in the lie.

"All right, you bastard," Naruto growls. "Tell me where your teammates are and what the hell you're doing pretendin' to be Sasuke?"

And then the _not_-me _smiles_. A long tongue, too long to be human, comes out and licks his facsimile of my lips. A voice, an odd, female, voice oozes from the _not_-me's lips. "You really think you caught me, haven't you?"

"What?" Naruto asks.

Suddenly the image of me poofs into smoke, and all of a sudden we're staring at Shiore, the odd female genin who had approached us while we were talking with Ryuuzetsu.

"It's _you_!" Naruto shouts.

That's when Shiore seems to _wiggle_ right out of the chains until she's free and she leaps high into the air, landing on one of the branches above us.

"How . . . how can anyone do that?" Hinata asks.

"There's no way an ordinary human can do that!" I shout! "Watch yourself! She's really dangerous!"

Shiore chuckles. "I'm impressed, Sasuke. And here I thought your ego would keep you from self-deprecation, and that your teammate is so dim-witted that he's be hit first."

That eerie little smile grows wider. "Something new I've learned about you. This promises to be _very_ entertaining."

"How about I show you what 'entertainment' is!" Naruto takes off at a run, and I reach out and grab him.

"No, Naruto! Don't fall for it! She's clearly taunting you!"

Shiore chuckles. "Such a quick temper. Like master, like apprentice."

Her eyes narrow. "Like sister, like _brother_."

Naruto gasps at that, and _then_ it hits me. This woman _knows_. She knows a _lot_ about us. Including Naruto's personal relationship with Anko-sensei . . . and that we've been trained by Anko-sensei _period_!

Who the hell is she? How can a genin from the Hidden Grass who we've never seen before know any of that?

"I see the look in your eyes, all three of yours, including the cowardly Hyuga girl behind you. You're all thinking the same thing," Shiore replies. "'How'? 'It's impossible'! How could you know these things'?"

Shiore's dark eyes widen and that smile shows teeth. "It's quite an amusing story, actually. Care for me to tell you?"

Get away from us, you creepy bitch! "Fire Style! Phoenix Flower Technique!"

I fire four small fireballs at her, and she dodges every single one of them, leaping from one branch to another, until she settles on the ground right by the base of a giant tree. She actually got even _closer_ to us dodging those attacks!

Another chuckle. "I suppose not. That works for me. It's a boring story for me to tell anyway."

"You've been spying on us?" Naruto shouts. "How long? Who sent you?"

The knowing glance in Shiore's eyes sends shivers down my spine. "Oh, my dear little Uzumaki boy, _I_ sent _myself_."

"What is she?" Hinata cries. "Her chakra . . . her chakra . . ."

I turn to Hinata, and I see she's turned her Byakugan on. "Hinata? What's wrong?"

"It's like there's two chakra layers on top of each other!" Hinata cries. "She . . . it's like she has this _superficial_ one on top and then there's the _real_ one underneath! And it's like Anko-sensei's Cursed Seal chakra except over her whole body!"

_What_? How is that possible?

Naruto gapes at Hinata. "N-No way. So she's like a living version of that seal?"

"Y-Yes," Hinata says.

"Aw man." Naruto turns back towards Shiore. "Sasuke, I think she's bad news. We should get out of here."

"So, you three are aware of the seal your precious 'Anko-sensei' has," Shiore says. "You three know more than I expected."

I remember what Anko-sensei told us back while we were heading to the Land of Snow. She said the seal had been given to her by a ninja named 'Orochimaru'. I've heard the name before, 'Orochimaru' is the snake ninja who devours disobedient little kids. He committed nothing but horrors to Konoha's own citizens. He turned people into _things_. He turned himself into a monster. He's capable of almost anything . . .

Wait.

Wait.

Shit.

Oh _shit_.

What if . . . what if . . .

No. No. Impossible! There's no way! There just isn't!

Shiore reaches behind her back and pulls out a scroll. It doesn't take long to see that she has the navy blue Earth Scroll. Why? Why's she showing it to us?

"I assume you want to get your hands on this Earth Scroll," Shiore says. "It would make a good combination with your Heaven Scroll, wouldn't it?"

How does she know that too? Does she have eyes throughout these woods, in the trees, watching our every move?

"L-Look," Hinata says softly. "We have _two_ Heaven Scrolls. We don't need both. We'll just give you one, okay?"

"Hinata! What are you doing?" Naruto shouts but Hinata looks right at Naruto.

"Naruto, she's more powerful than anything I have ever sensed in my life! We don't stand a chance!" Hinata shouts.

"Impressive," Shiore says. "So you've already eliminated one of the teams in this forest? Dear Anko has trained you well."

She puts the Earth Scroll right next to her mouth. All of a sudden, that inhumanly long tongue wraps around the scroll, and somehow she begins fitting it into her mouth. Like she's going to swallow the whole scroll!

How can . . . how can she-

"Damn it!" Wait, is Naruto-

Those Chakra Chains fly out and slam into the Shiore woman just as she starts to swallow the scroll. Shiore crashes into a tree, and the Earth Scroll rolls onto the ground, rolls right up to my feet.

Holy crap.

Naruto just sucker-punched Shiore with those chains.

I pick the scroll up, and I look back to the bushes where Shiore had been knocked into. And then Shiore rises, without any effort from her hands to get back up.

And then those dark eyes widen and her smile grows inhumanly wide, almost slashing across her entire face. So much so I think I can hear _skin_ ripping.

Only one thing comes to mind.

"Everyone . . . run."

No one argues.

* * *

I have no clue where we've wound up and what direction we wound up choosing. We could be next to the central tower, we could be next to the river, we could be next to the fence ringing the entire grounds, or anywhere in-between. I literally have no idea.

Anywhere is better than where that Shiore woman was.

Naruto's gasping for air, his arms trembling. "Please tell me you still got that scroll, Sasuke."

"Yeah," I say. "I do."

I feel disgusting holding it, knowing that woman's _spit_ was all over this thing. But here it is. We have it. We just need to get to the tower and we pass.

Actually, the tower seems downright heavenly right now. I don't think I'm gonna be able to sleep or relax at _all_ until we make it inside that tower. My heart just will not settle down.

Talk. Just talk. See if that calms you down. "Good job, Naruto. She didn't see that coming at all."

Naruto manages a shaky grin. "I . . . I saw that she _literally_ couldn't see us when she was beginning to swallow that scroll. So I thought 'screw it' and slammed my Chakra Chains into her. It worked . . . worked better than I thought it would."

"You're right, it did." Come on, keep talking. Settle down. You need to settle down and focus.

"All right. Once we catch our breath and have some water, we're making a beeline right for the central tower," I say. "We need to find where it is and head straight there. No breaks, no hesitation. I think we're all too wired to rest anyway."

"You don't hear me arguin', pretty boy," Naruto says.

"You . . . you really think we'll be safe in that tower?" Hinata asks. "She's stronger than anyone I've ever scanned with my Byakugan. She could level that whole tower if she wanted to in order to kill us."

I am not going to think about that prospect. Not even for one single second. "No. No, she wouldn't. There's going to be elite ninja inside that tower. It'd be too much trouble. We _will_ be safe the moment we get inside."

"Believe it, Hinata," Naruto adds. "My mom's helping Sasuke's mom. We all know my mom's the strongest kunoichi in Konoha. There's no way she'd let that freaky lady get us."

I hope not. I really hope not.

Hinata bites her lip. "She knew . . . she knew a _lot_ about us. And she spoke of Anko-sensei like she knew her."

Oh no. Hinata, please don't. Not right now.

Naruto sighs. "Let's get the cat out of the bag right now. We _all_ know that freaky lady was Orochimaru, okay? The moment you said that the freaky lady's chakra is like Anko's Cursed Seal we all figured it out on the spot. Orochimaru turned himself into a creepy lady or somethin'. Enough with the crap."

That makes me feel slightly better. Slightly.

_Very_ slightly. After all . . . this means we have the worst villain in Konoha history after us! It's taking all of my self-control not to panic!

"How are you not scared?" Hinata asks.

"I'm _really_ scared," Naruto says. "But my mom told me once that bravery comes from being scared. So I'm gonna be brave and focus and just keep working until we're safe inside that tower. You guys gotta do the same thing. Just work through it."

He looks at me. "Come on. Sooner we get in that tower, the better off I'm gonna feel."

He's right. He's definitely right about that one.

Come on. Come on. Don't think about Orochimaru or Shiore or whoever the hell that was (who am I kidding, it's Orochimaru). Just like Naruto says. Focus and work through it. There's no way we're gonna get to safety paralyzed with fear like this.

"All right," I say. "I'll take point. Naruto, we're trading scrolls, I'll take the spare Heaven Scroll. If we gotta we'll barter it in order to get to the tower. Right now, anything goes to get in that tower and out of this insanity."

"All right," Naruto says. We trade the scrolls and I pocket the spare Heaven Scroll, and he does the same with the Earth Scroll.

"I think night's fallen," Hinata says softly.

"Doesn't matter. We just move quickly but as quietly as we can until we get to a point where we can get a view of the tower. I am sure the tower has lights so people who can qualify can find it in the dark. Then we head right for that tower without stopping," I say. "Then we tell everybody what the hell is happening and then they can stop this guy."

"That works for me," Naruto says. "Ready, Hinata?"

"Ready," Hinata says. I hear a couple of soft cracks, I know she's focusing her Byakugan. "Let me scan the area first . . ."

A pause. Then a soft gasp.

I don't like that. I don't like that at _all_.

"Hinata?" I ask out loud, even though I think I know what she's gasping about.

"She's right behind you, Sasuke."

I spin around and that's when Shiore, or Orochimaru reveals his . . . herself . . . I don't know anymore!

The villainous Sannin chuckles as he/she/it approaches us. "I was wondering when you would activate your Byakugan and ruin my entertainment, cowardly Hyuga girl."

"Oh crap," Naruto hisses.

Orochimaru, still in that Shiore skin, chuckles even louder. Almost outright laughing. "You _really_ thought the three of you could escape _me_? Even though you're fully aware of who I am? Though it was entertaining to hear the three of you scheme and plan and work yourselves out of your fear. And . . ."

Those eyes look right at Naruto. "You, my dear Uzumaki boy, you have impressed me beyond my imagination. You interest me more than Sasuke right now."

I don't even have to look at Naruto to know he's blanching right now. I don't like knowing that I 'interest' this guy either. He seems to _covet_ us, like we could be future possessions of his or something. No wonder Konoha despises him!

I need to keep him talking. That's the only thing I can think of. There's no way Mother's oblivious to this. I need to stall until help of some kind arrives. "What do you want with us? Is it because Anko Mitarashi is our sensei?"

"You think me so petty as to come after you merely because dear Anko trained you three?" Orochimaru chuckles. "No. But it has been amusing to know of how Anko has trained you three. 'The exact opposite of how Orochimaru trained me', I believe she said once."

Anko _has_ said that on more than one occasion! "How the hell do you know she's said something like that?"

"I have had eyes and ears trained upon you three almost from the moment I heard that dear Anko had become a jonin-sensei," Orochimaru says. "The dear Anko I knew would_ never_ be capable of jonin-sensei duty, so . . . call it 'curiosity'. Of course, once I found out what she was doing, curiosity transformed into entertainment."

Forget stalling! I need to distract him so we can try to run! "Fire Style! Phoenix Flower Technique!"

He dodges it all with ease, and after the last fireball, he shakes his head. "You may have caught me off guard once but to do it again-"

"Wind Style! Wind Slash Technique!" Naruto's attack comes at him from Orochimaru's left flank and Orochimaru dodges that attack as well, but I'm already changing my strategy.

"Fire Style! Fireball Technique!" I aim to fry him where he stands, but then Orochimaru _rushes_ through the flames like they mean nothing!

Stay away from me! "Crystal Style! Crystal Lance Technique!"

It forms just in time for me to stab Orochimaru right through the chest.

Blood trickles from the wound. A sinking feeling tells me that this was not good enough to kill him.

Shiore's face looks more distorted than before, like the skin is beginning to fall off. It makes Orochimaru's smile look even more demented than before. "Crystal Style? More and more interesting! I thought that was a bloodline trait! How did _you_ learn how to copy these techniques?"

"Chakra Chains Technique!" Naruto's chains fly at Orochimaru and yank him off of my lance and he sends Orochimaru flying into the woods.

Naruto's eyes are wild, terrified, he's barely holding together. "We gotta get out of here!"

Orochimaru rises from the bushes again. "There is no escape from me."

He's enjoying this. In this demented, cruel way, he's _enjoying_ this and our attempts to defend ourselves. This is what he's living for, right here, off terrifying us and chasing us around.

Hinata charges forward then, screaming like a banshee. She's scared. She's clearly so scared she can hardly stand it but she knows she has to fight, she knows she has to do _something_.

Orochimaru looks like he's about to simply slap her aside but Naruto sends out a chain and it hooks Orochimaru. Hinata gets right to his chest and pounds him repeatedly but Orochimaru's other hand rises and backhands Hinata in the head, knocking her aside.

With his arm still locked in Naruto's chain, he comes back at me. I ready my Crystal Lance, but then I see it. His arm seems to be _lengthening_. Like it can be stretched an infinite amount of distance. Naruto having him tied up doesn't make a lick of difference!

I try to slash him but he easily dodges the blow and then I feel a force slam me in the stomach. He kicked me.

Next thing I know, I'm on the ground, my face full of dirt.

He's not even trying. He's not even toying with us. This is nothing but a game for him, we're amusement park attractions at best. He's going to kill the three of us when he's bored and then it's on to the next attraction.

How? How can we stop this guy?

"Wind Style! Wind Slash Technique!" Naruto's trying that attack again, with Orochimaru's arm still attached to Naruto's chain. The arm is severed, and Orochimaru stands still, he doesn't even cry out in pain. He just _looks_ at the lost arm.

"Oh." That's all he says. _That's all he says_. Like a mosquito bit him.

And then a pale, masculine arm shoots out from where the lost limb had been severed, covered in beige spit or fluid of some kind, like it had never happened at all.

Naruto's eyes widen. "No . . . no way!"

Orochimaru's eyes look between the two of us. "Which one of you? You're both so . . . enticing."

Oh God. Someone help us. Someone help us, please! He really _is_ coveting us!

Suddenly, that cruel smirk slashes its way across his wrecked Shiore-skin, destroying the face even further. And then he laughs. And it's not in Shiore's voice either. It's a voice that sounds more masculine, and yet like it's not from this world. Like a smooth-talking demon of hell.

He laughs wildly, wickedly, like the entire world is at his beck and call and he can destroy it all at will.

"No. Why choose when I can have you _both_?" Orochimaru cries.

What does he mean by . . .

Oh no.

"Naruto! He's going to-"

Orochimaru's neck extends from his body. Extends _far_. Heading right for a stunned Naruto.

I can't stop it. He's going to do to Naruto, and then to me, what he did to Anko-sensei! And I can't stop it! I can't save Naruto!

Oh no. Oh no, no, no.

"_Naruto_!"

That voice. It's . . .

And then I see her.

Hinata.

Where Naruto had been standing.

Naruto's falling to the ground, clearly been pushed out of the way.

All I see is a split second of Hinata, her arms outstretched, her gray eyes filled with fear but also caring. A deep sense of caring that stretches _beyond_ Naruto being a mere 'crush'.

And then that is replaced by pain and agony in the next moment when Orochimaru bites her in the neck.

"Ack!" Hinata's eyes widen so far they look like they're going to fall out of her sockets.

Orochimaru, as if realizing he attacked the wrong target, quickly leaves Hinata's neck and his body returns to normal proportions. All he says is a passive "Hmm."

"Hinata?" Naruto scrambles upright just as Hinata wobbles in front of him, her hands clutching her neck.

"N-Naruto . . ." A hoarse, strangled, horrified whisper is all that escapes Hinata's mouth.

And then.

And then.

Oh God.

The _scream_.

It is the most horrific, most pained scream I have ever heard in my life. She screams like every bone in her body is being snapped and she's been set on fire, all at the same time. And she keeps screaming. Over and over, she screams, her hands desperately clutching the left side of her neck, her body shaking like it's been dropped into icy water.

"Hinata!" Naruto runs forward and catches Hinata just as she falls forward, sliding to a stop.

"It hurts!" Hinata wails. "It hurts! It _hurts_!"

Tears are spilling from her eyes, sweat pouring down her face, her body spasming and shaking uncontrollably.

I know what's happened. He did to Hinata what he did to Anko-sensei.

"Help me!" Hinata shrieks. "Naruto, help me! Make it stop!_ Make it stop_!"

There's a deep pain in my chest, and it's not from physical injury. What I am seeing is the gentlest, most kind girl I have ever met being _corrupted_. She is being tortured to the point of senselessness by what Orochimaru just did to her. Evil, twisted chakra is spreading throughout her and she's trying to fight it and she can't and so she screams. She screams endlessly, broken up by sobs, as the corruption is spreading.

This nice girl . . . who never liked fighting . . . is being changed against her will by this evil snake of a man who went after us for his 'entertainment'.

I've failed her. I've failed her so badly.

"Hinata . . . Hinata, I'm right here!" Naruto pleads. "Just hang on! You gotta hang on!"

I force myself to stand up. The battle seems to have been forgotten. _All_ of us are staring at Hinata, twitching and screaming and sobbing in Naruto's arms.

The only thing I feel looking at Hinata . . . is anger. Anger at Orochimaru for doing this to her, my friend, my teammate. Anger at myself for not preventing it, for not being able to save Naruto so Hinata had to save Naruto instead, at the cost of _herself_.

How could I have failed so badly?

Hinata. I couldn't save you. I wasn't strong enough, and now . . .

"Interesting," Orochimaru says nonchalantly. "I would have thought she'd have died by now. She's stronger than I expected."

That's it. That dirty rotten bastard. How dare he do this to her. How dare he try to do this to Naruto and me.

I'll fight him until I have nothing left. I'm going to protect Naruto with my life, just as Naruto is covering Hinata's body with his own so Orochimaru can't do any more damage to her. I won't let him pass. I'll die first.

He's not going to get Naruto. I don't care if he takes me too, but he's not going to get Naruto. One of us is getting out of here without his goddamn poison in our chakra!

"Crystal Style! Jade Crystal Prison!" Orochimaru leaps away from the crystals as they grow, but I leap into the air with my lance.

He's dead. I'll kill him until he _stays_ dead. How dare he do this. To Hinata! To all of us!

I slash at him and he dodges the blow like I missed him by five feet. His body twists and contorts until part of it is directly behind me and I feel a blow right to my back and I slam right into the ground.

That one hurt.

And that's when I see Orochimaru right next to my head.

"You'll all be _mine_," Orochimaru whispers softly, and I can feel his breath waft into my ear. A cold shiver goes down my spine, as if he can corrupt me just by_ breathing_ on me. "You're next."

I see kunai shoot at Orochimaru then and Orochimaru backs away from me, hissing as he yanks the multiple kunai from his body and casts all of them aside if they meant nothing.

And then I see Mother land directly in front of Orochimaru.

Her Sharingan is ablaze in her eyes, and her body language suggests one thing: _kill_.

"Get out of here, Sasuke," Mother says. Her voice is firm, _furious_. "Get out of here while you still can."

"Yes, Mother." I struggle to my feet, but I can barely stand up. My world is moving back and forth, and my legs are wobbling. My face feels like one gigantic nerve being rubbed raw, and I can tell from the odd sensation on my face that my nose is bleeding. I'm barely going to be able to walk away from here.

Orochimaru still sounds amused. "Ah, Mikoto Uchiha. Why am I not surprised you're here?"

"Shut your scheming, lying, evil mouth," Mother spits.

She puts on a fighting stance. "I'll die before I let you sink your teeth into my son."

I look at Orochimaru, and he's still smiling.

"Fine," he says casually. "So be it."

And then they rush each other and the battle begins . . .

And all I can do is watch.

* * *

I'm still kind of surprised I wrote the above. What happened was something carefully planned almost since the fic's inception but I was not sure I had the guts to do it until I wrote it.

Poor Hinata. I guess the best title for this chapter would be "Break the Cutie" but it would have spoiled things.

Keep in mind that Orochimaru did not intend to get Hinata. He regarded Hinata as basically _nothing_. Note that he doesn't even refer to Hinata by her name but calls Sasuke and Naruto by their names. Things didn't go entirely according to plan here for him.

Anyway, until next time. Next time will also have Kushina return front-and-center into the story.


	8. Serpent

Sorry about taking so long with this posting. I've had a bad (and busy) last couple of days. Here you go. We have returned to Kushina's POV.

* * *

**Chapter Eight: Serpent**

_Kushina Uzumaki_

It was the moment that our chuunin found the murdered Kusa genin that everything changed.

Mikoto knew. She knew something was _off_. I sensed something was off too, off about those three genin, but there wasn't anything outright suspicious.

And then the chuunin called us over. And then we saw the bodies of the three Kusa genin who had struck both Mikoto and I as being incredibly strange. And then we saw that their faces had been melted off. Like they had been _stolen_.

When I saw that, my heart skipped several beats. All that went through my mind is that _Naruto is in danger_. Karin's words, warning us that Orochimaru had an interest in Mikoto's child and my child, echoed throughout my mind. There was no hesitation. Both Mikoto and I rushed into the forest the moment we saw those bodies, dragging Tenzo with us to form a three-man squad.

And now we run.

"What do you think?" I ask Mikoto. "You think this could be Kabuto, or worse?"

"Not even Orochimaru would be brazen enough to do this," Mikoto says. "Has to be Kabuto. The conniving little bastard is more depraved than I thought."

Tenzo shakes his head. "I know Orochimaru more _intimately_ than either of you. I'm inclined to think that is Orochimaru himself. That technique is his favored way of doing a transformation technique. It's incredibly thorough, virtually undetectable unless you have the Byakugan or have some other way of reading his chakra."

Mikoto looks back at Tenzo, her dark eyes look like they would go ablaze if they could. "What do you mean, you know Orochimaru more _intimately_ than we do?"

Tenzo looks away from her. "You know of the reports of Orochimaru experimenting on our own citizens. I was one of his experiments."

I just feel sick. I can't imagine what pain and agony Tenzo has gone through now. And yet he just keeps moving on like nothing happened. Has done a real good job of it too. Besides his wood manipulation he passes like an ordinarily-trained ninja.

Whatever pain I've felt has to pale in comparison to what Tenzo must have felt at Orochimaru's hands. At least my pain, no matter how terrible it is, goes away after a while. Tenzo's pain likely lasted for much, much longer.

"How can we trust you?" Mikoto asks.

"Have I given you any reason to not trust me?" Tenzo retorts.

I can't have an argument right now. Not when we're trying to save my child and Mikoto's child too. I almost want to scream at them to cut it out. "We are not having this discussion! Tenzo, I trust you, and you can tell us what Orochimaru did to you later! Now, if you know Orochimaru, what do you think he's doing?"

The grim look on Tenzo's face just makes the pit in my stomach grow even more. "Orochimaru probably _needs_ a specific child for whatever his purposes are. A successor, a weapon, a spy, it could be anything. We all know the case of Anko Mitarashi well. Both Sasuke and Naruto are last remnants of famous clans, so I expect Orochimaru is out to administer a cursed seal on the both of them and, if one lives, he'll apprentice the survivor."

The thought of Naruto serving that bastard makes me want to throw up. "Why our children though? Why not another child of a different clan?"

Tenzo's face remains expressionless. It's eerie. "I couldn't say. Sasuke and Naruto probably fit into whatever his plans are in ways another child of a different clan can't. It could be as simple as having Anko Mitarashi as their sensei. Or perhaps it's Naruto having more chakra and longevity than the average person, or Sasuke's Sharingan, that make them desirable. I don't know."

I wish we knew where they went. They could be anywhere in this forest! And Orochimaru could be hunting down my child any second now!

"Hold up," Tenzo says.

Mikoto and I both stop behind him. "What is it?" I ask.

"We have company," Tenzo says.

That's when the other two fake Kusa genin leap from the shadows from our flanks.

Oh no they don't. "Chakra Chains Technique!"

I send my chains flying everywhere and both of the fake genin are hit so hard they're sent backwards, crashing into trees and coming to a rest.

"Take them down! Quickly!" I shout, eyeing the one I had thrown to the left.

The guy I'm facing has a mask on. I can't see his face or even his eyes. I take a pair of shuriken and chuck them at him, but he bounces to his feet and dodges them both. He responds with his own shuriken, which I also dodge.

In the inconsistent lighting, I see that the shuriken have _wires_ attached to them. He's just going to draw them back and try to stick me with them. He can forget it!

I take a kunai and cut both wires so both shuriken vanish into the woods, and then I rush him. He's quick enough to see me coming and parry my strike with his own kunai, but I'm not going to slow down. And I'm not going to accept a deadlock either!

I knee him in the stomach and he grunts and wheezes from the blow. I take the back of my kunai handle and smash it into the top of his shiny bald head and send him right into the ground.

There's no way I'm going to allow him to-

What the?

Blue flames?

Damn it, not the Body Elimination Technique! Not now!

There's nothing I can do. Blue flames are the hottest flames. It's a quick vaporization. The moment that technique is activated, there's nothing I can do to stop the process. The time it'd take to destroy the flames is much too long.

Bastard. Taking the easy way out.

I look over at Mikoto and Tenzo, and I see they have had the exact same result. Their fake genin had opted to dispose of himself as well rather than be taken alive.

"They recognized that they were outclassed," Tenzo says grimly. "Their only chance was to take us off guard. Once that failed they decided to kill themselves instead of trying to fight us off."

How are we going to find Orochimaru now? He could be anywhere in these woods! So can Naruto! They could be anywhere and the more time we waste blundering around, the more likely Orochimaru's going to take my child! Or Mikoto's! Or both of them! What am I doing to do? Do I have to tear this forest apart to find them?

Calm down. Calm down the best you can. You can't panic. You can't! Panicking will just make everything worse! It'll reduce our chances of finding Naruto and his team in time!

Wait, I feel something in the air. Where . . .?

"You feel that too, Kushina?" Mikoto asks me.

"Yeah. Something is-"

That's when all of a sudden there's a glowing seal underneath us.

"A trap!" Tenzo shouts.

Channel all of your chakra into your legs and _jump_! Now!

As I leap into the air I feel a massive eruption from the seal and I see a giant snake emerge from the ground, its mouth wide open as if it was expecting to swallow one of us immediately.

"A summon!" Mikoto shouts. "Take it out!"

The snake lashes out against Tenzo. Tenzo slams his hands into the ground and shouts "Earth Style! Planet Splitter Technique!"

The snake is upended as the very earth below it splits apart. The snake is left in the middle in-between a small canyon that's shot up from the ground.

"Earth Style! Falling Earth Spears!" Tenzo cries out in the next second, and spears emerge from each side of the small canyon and blast out into the snake, spearing it in ten different places and causing blood to fly everywhere from the snake's body. With a final hiss the snake collapses to the ground, eyes wide open, clearly dead.

How many traps has Orochimaru laid out for us? He had to have known we were coming somehow! Did Kabuto get to him somehow? I know he's managed to escape Kakashi's dragnet somehow but there shouldn't have been a way for him to communicate with Orochimaru. Not without exposing himself and being promptly caught!

"A trap hidden under an ambush," Tenzo says after catching his breath. "Clearly meant to kill chuunin and most jonin."

"We were very lucky to not have had one of us get killed right there," Mikoto says. "We have to be getting close."

"This confirms it has to be Orochimaru himself now. He has a summoning contract with snakes," Tenzo says. "We need to advance carefully."

Tenzo, I know you don't have a child but you need to understand. "We don't have time to 'advance carefully'! Naruto and Sasuke are in danger! They could be attacked any minute now!"

There's a distant howl of wind coming from my right, with a lot of crashing noises and branches breaking. Somebody used a powerful wind attack there. And I don't think it was Naruto. The Wind Slash doesn't make sounds like that.

"Think that could be it?" Tenzo asks.

"It's better than running around in circles!" Mikoto shouts. "Come on, follow me!"

Mikoto jumps into the woods and I follow her.

Hold on, Naruto. Hold on. I'm not going to let that monster take you! I'm going to find him and kill him before he takes you!

Count on it!

* * *

I almost lost Minato to that bastard once. It was when I was a teenager, sixteen years old, a chuunin. Minato had just been promoted to jonin, he had become an elite ninja, and I was proud of him. I actually didn't mind that he had gotten promoted to jonin before I had despite my own ambitions to become Hokage. It just didn't seem like that big of a deal to lose to Minato, not in the way it seemed when I was a little kid.

That's what being deeply in love does to you. All of a sudden, you want to work with him, not against him. Oh, I was still going to become a jonin, all right, but I wanted to be Minato's partner, not his rival. My days of being a rival to him were over.

I was already envisioning marriage and children, several children. There was no one else but Minato I could ever imagine being with. I felt a closeness to him, a sense of understanding that I could not get from anyone else. Well, besides Mikoto, but that was different. Mikoto was a close friend I could trust anything with, including my secret of being a jinchuuriki.

Minato was something else entirely. He was a young man who not only understood that I was a jinchuuriki but loved me in spite of the fact that I could transform into a monster. He saw a future with me even though there was a demon inside me! He saw children with me even though he knew there's be some kind of birthmark on their faces! He treated me like I was an amazing girl who didn't have anything evil inside her that needed to be restrained. I was Kushina Uzumaki to him, plain and simple, not Kushina the demon, not Kushina the jinchuuriki, not Kushina the weapon. I wasn't even Kushina the Red-Hot Habanero to him.

Just Kushina. Just Kushina Uzumaki, the girl he loved.

As someone who had to hide the truth of herself so she wouldn't be reviled, knowing that I was loved even though he knew I had a demon inside me . . . I felt nothing but love for Minato Namikaze. Every time I gazed into his eyes I felt like all of the weight and pressure placed upon me would leave me. I never felt more alive than when I was with him.

I even ignored the revulsion of the Nine-Tails to my happiness. Nothing anyone could say could ruin my happiness. Nothing.

But that's when it happened. The day my happiness was almost taken away.

I had never liked Orochimaru. He had seemed eerie to me. I never liked his pale skin or yellow, snake-like eyes. He and I had briefly met a few times when I was a child, and all I wanted to do was get away from him. He seemed to represent _death_ in my mind. He even _smelled_ like death, though I'm unsure of how much of that was real and how much was just my imagination running wild.

The day that Orochimaru wanted to speak with Minato, I immediately knew something was wrong. I begged Minato not to go.

Minato was Minato however. He smiled at me. "Everything will be fine, Kushina. Orochimaru's a Hokage candidate, after all. He might be in charge of the village someday so it's important to have good relations with him."

"Minato," I replied, "Number one, _I'm_ going to be Hokage, not Orochimaru."

Minato chuckled at that proclaimation like he always did. I wasn't going to let that throw me off guard, however.

"Number two, what part of 'Orochimaru is _seriously creepy_' don't you understand? Even my sensei, who has known the guy since he was a kid, told me the other way that Orochimaru is acting weird. Something's wrong with him, Minato."

Minato put his hands on my shoulders and smiled. His warm smile always disarmed me, as did his touch. I felt like I was safe, that he was safe, that both of us would be okay, whenever he hugged me or smiled at me. "Kushina, while Orochimaru can be a bit of a _recluse_ I am sure that if he gets some human contact every now and then he won't be as weird. The best way to keep people from being 'weird' is to interact with them."

I wanted to believe him. Minato had this gorgeous, smooth voice that made me want to think everything would be okay. I hugged him and he returned the embrace, and I kissed him on his smooth cheek. But even as I watched him go, I felt like my heart wanted to dislodge itself inside my chest and follow him to Orochimaru. I just felt like something was wrong.

Why would Orochimaru want to speak with Minato, a freshly minted jonin, anyway?

It bothered me for the whole day and that evening I just could not take it anymore. I knew where Orochimaru lived, that's the advantage of having a sensei who was _Orochimaru's babysitter _when Orochimaru was a child. Hibino-sensei was often tasked with babysitting the three Sannin when Hiruzen had to put his Hokage duties before his three genin. Their relationships had gotten frayed, however, as all three Sannin had eclipsed Hibino-sensei in power and ability and Hibino-sensei was envious.

Despite all of that, all three Sannin carry a piece of Hibino-sensei with them and have improved on what she's done. Hibino-sensei can summon toads, so can Jiraiya (though only Jiraiya can summon Gamabunta, the Toad King). Hibino-sensei is an expert in the short sword, Orochimaru is even better than she is. Hibino-sensei uses her Body Idealization to return herself to a youthful form by opening Inner Chakra Gates, Tsunade has a youthful transformation that is far more efficient and _way_ less risky than Hibino-sensei's method.

Back then, all three Sannin were still in the village. I knew Jiraiya closely, Jiraiya was Minato's sensei. Tsunade I didn't know well at all, she generally avoided me and I could only guess why.

Orochimaru, however, took things further and in a more disturbing way than Tsunade. Whenever I saw him, he always seemed to be _watching_ me, like a stalker. He had this weird little smile when he was observing me too. I was scared of him.

And that fear is what guided me to Orochimaru's hideout in a little corner on the edge of Konoha.

And that's when I saw them both.

Minato staring in space like a zombie, and Orochimaru behind him, seeming to ponder.

And then Orochimaru's sickly yellow eyes turned to me.

"Kushina Uzumaki. I had a feeling you would come here," Orochimaru said.

"What's going on?" I looked back at Minato and saw his blue eyes were _still_ staring into space. "What's wrong with Minato?"

"It's just a harmless little test. There's rumors of a war approaching, you know. It may become useful to take control of enemy soldiers' bodies and turn them right back against their superiors," Orochimaru replied almost casually.

"Wait, _what_?" I turned towards Minato. "You've taken control of him?"

"You catch on quickly," Orochimaru replied, grinning in a way that seemed_ malicious_ to me. "Yes, right now, Minato Namikaze is under _my_ control. In fact . . ."

His eyes narrowed at me and that grin grew wider. "Maybe it's time to test how absolute my control is."

And that's when Minato drew kunai and rushed me, Orochimaru laughing in exhilaration behind him.

Minato moved nearly as fast as he usually did. He still sliced my right arm and left leg open before I was able to defend myself, but Minato countered well.

"Minato! Minato, stop! You don't want to do this!" I screamed.

"Minato can't respond to you right now," Orochimaru replied. "He won't speak unless I let him. He can't even _look_ at you unless I let him. Look at how I'm controlling him, Kushina Uzumaki. He is striking with the intent to kill at my very will."

"You bastard!" Minato kicked me in the stomach and I found myself thrown to the side, and I had another kunai thrown into my stomach and it made me scream.

"Minato . . . please," I begged. "You and I promised that the one fight we had in Ame, in the Chuunin Exams, was the only fight we were gonna have. Don't break that promise. Fight it, Minato."

His face remained impassive, lost in another world. Just completely expressionless like he was a blank slate, a zombie. All he did was raise another kunai and try to strike me again.

I tried to protect myself but Minato would just not stop. I tried to get around him and go after Orochimaru but Minato would stop me just as I got close. Orochimaru never had to move a single step to avoid getting hit by me.

Finally, Minato slashed my right leg _and_ did more permanent damage to my left. I was on my knees, my eyes filled with tears, and I could only _stare_ as the young man I loved so much was impassively trying to kill me.

And Orochimaru was clearly intending to see how far he could go with controlling Minato. Just as Minato raised his hand, however, I heard a deep, rumbling voice in my head.

_You will not survive without my power_.

I knew the voice. The voice of the demon. The voice of the Nine-Tails. "What do you want?"

_I'll save your life and your pathetic boyfriend's and even kill Orochimaru if you just unleash my chakra. That's all you have to do, woman._

"I don't believe you!"

_He will kill you and kill me in the process unless you allow this, woman._

I had never unleashed the Nine-Tails before, not even in a limited capacity. My entire life, I had been taught to believe that the Nine-Tails was an evil creature, and my role in life was to keep it contained so it would not harm anyone else. I had obeyed the edict to the very letter. I never let a _hint_ of the Nine-Tails' chakra leak out before.

I didn't see any other choice but to grant the Nine-Tails its wish.

So I let down my restraint. I stepped aside and allowed the Nine-Tails to take over.

I suddenly had a vision of floating into the cage and big giant red-furred hands suddenly slamming me between both hands and promptly crushing me.

And then the most ferocious pain I had ever felt in my life.

Immediately, I knew I had made a mistake. But I could not stop it. I could not get my resistance back up in time to stop the transformation.

One chakra tail. Then two. Then three, all in rapid succession, doubling me over as this boiling aura surrounded me and drove me to my lands and knees. The very ground seemed to boil away under my touch.

Rage became me.

My skin peeled off, and I grunted, cried, and finally screamed. I screamed as I felt I was burning away. I felt the primal rage and desire to slaughter _everything_ in my path engulf me.

And then I was lost.

* * *

I do not remember what I did to Minato or Orochimaru. But apparently Minato was hurt really bad and Orochimaru even worse, according to Hibino-sensei. It had been Hibino-sensei who had stopped my rampage, she's skilled with seals and that turned out to be the reason why she was my sensei. She could reactivate the seal containing the Nine-Tails and force me to return to my original state.

I could care less for what I had done to Orochimaru. He escaped justice for what he did, after all, he justified it as an experiment that went out of control. His only slap on the wrist was being barred from ever repeating the experiment ever again. I almost never saw him again, and the few times I did he seemed to have no scarring from whatever I had done to him. I never gave any thought as to how or why he was able to seem so unhurt.

But Minato . . .

Minato I just could not bear to see.

I stayed away from him the months he was in recovery. I felt that he hated me. That I had proven myself to be a monster in front of him. So I limped through the next few months, grimly preparing for the rumored war that was approaching our land, feeling incredibly lonely and isolated even when I was with Mikoto and her circle of friends.

One day he got out of the hospital and knocked on my door.

When I saw him, I tried to shut the door in his face but he forced the door open and took me into his arms.

"I know why you never visited, Kushina," he said after a moment.

"I'm a monster," I replied, tears already forming in my eyes. "That's what I am. I shouldn't be-"

"Don't beat yourself up. That's not you," Minato said to me softly. "It's okay. You did what you needed to do to stop me . . . to _save_ me."

"Minato, I'm sorry!"

"There's nothing to apologize for, Kushina. Thank you. Thank you for saving me."

He was so understanding.

In that moment, I realized that _he_ was going to be Hokage someday. Not me.

I kissed him and let myself fall back in love with him again like it had never happened.

And I vowed to never allow Orochimaru to ever touch one of my family members again.

And, more than ever, that included the man I loved. The man who I was going to marry, the man who was going to become Hokage, ironically being chosen over Orochimaru.

Minato Namikaze.

* * *

When we make it to the clearing, there's a horrifying, ear-piercing shriek from our left. I can just tell it's Hinata Hyuga's.

Oh no.

"What was _that_?" Tenzo says softly.

"That was Hinata Hyuga, Sasuke and Naruto's teammate," Mikoto replies. "Come on, come on! We have to go! We could be too late!"

Mikoto tears through the woods and I chase after her.

All I can think about is Naruto.

His face flashes in front of my eyes, from him crying in my arms the first time he saw me to him grinning widely and proclaiming he was going to pass this exam on his first try just a couple of days ago.

My amazing, cheerful, strong son.

No. I won't let Orochimaru touch you.

He will not touch you.

He will not 'possess' you, or whatever he wants to do to you.

I'm coming, Naruto! Please hold on! Please hold on! I'm almost there!

I'll kill him, Naruto! I'll kill him and save you and then this will never happen to you again!

I'll kill Orochimaru a hundred times over if that's what it takes!

I promise, Naruto! Just hold on!

There they are!

Sasuke's on the ground, Orochimaru right next to his crumpled body. And then, in front of them, is Naruto and Hinata, both of them cuddled together, Hinata shaking like she's back in the Land of Snow.

Mikoto pauses next to me on the tree branch we're sharing.

"No," she whispers. "Not my child. Not my child."

She draws kunai and leaps towards Orochimaru and Sasuke, killing intent erupting from her. It's so ferocious I almost feel like I can taste it.

It brings me back to reality before I do the exact same thing Mikoto is doing.

"Mikoto!" Tenzo shouts, but I reach out my hand and stop him.

"Find a way to flank him while Mikoto makes the frontal assault!" I shout. "I'll make sure Naruto and Hinata are okay!"

I leap from the branches onto the ground floor and race towards Naruto and Hinata.

Not Naruto. Please not Naruto. Not my baby. Not him. Please not him.

He sees me coming right as I'm about to make it within an arm's length. "Mom!"

He doesn't look that badly hurt. He's been roughed up but nothing permanent. Thank the heavens, Minato. Orochimaru has not corrupted our child. That monster has not done to Naruto what he did to you, or worse. Naruto's still okay. He's still okay.

"Naruto, I'm here. What happened? Are you hurt?" I scramble over to him and clutch Naruto's shoulder. Holding his shoulder is like a form of relaxation therapy to me right now, it lets me re-center myself. I know Naruto's okay. He's okay. Roughed up but okay. And I'm here now. I can protect him.

"N-Not that bad, but . . . but Hinata! He bit Hinata!" Naruto cries.

"He did _what_?"

I scramble to the other side of Naruto and then I see Hinata's face. Sweat is pouring down her forehead and cheeks, mixed with tears streaming from her wide gray eyes. She's struggling to breathe and she's sobbing and sounding like she's both going to choke and bite her own tongue off. Her hands are trembling, her right hand has a death grip on the ground, tearing apart the dirt, and her left is clutching Naruto's own right hand like she's clinging for dear life.

And then I see it.

It's on Hinata's neck, right above two marks on her neck that look like a snake's fangs have penetrated her.

The Cursed Seal of Heaven.

The very same seal that is on Anko's neck.

Heaven help me. Not this girl. Not this innocent, sweet girl. Why her? Why did Orochimaru . . .

No, no, focus! Focus!

"Hinata! Hinata, this is Ms. Uzumaki, Naruto's mom. Can you hear me?" I ask.

Her left eye turns towards me, looking frightened and agonized. "M-Ms. Uzumaki . . . h-help me. P-Please. Please h-help me."

She sounds like her whole body could fall apart in a moment's notice. I remember Anko saying that there is a one-in-ten chance of surviving getting the Cursed Seal of Heaven. At least that's how it worked with her.

These are _not_ good odds. Not at all.

"Hinata, I need you to concentrate on breathing. Do _not_ let this thing beat you. Focus on breathing. Focus on Naruto, and focus on my voice," I say.

"I-It hurts."

Her voice, so soft, so innocent, begging for help. Keep it together. You need to keep it together, Kushina.

"I know it hurts, Hinata. I know it hurts. Just focus on breathing," I say.

This seal doesn't look like Anko's. Then again Anko has a counter-seal on it to help her keep it suppressed. I've seen it enough times, I have to be capable of duplicating it, at least well enough to keep Hinata alive!

But can I do it, right now, on the spot? I remember Anko saying it took a lot of preparation and time to pull it off! That's something I don't have!

I hear Mikoto cry out in pain. I spin around and I see her flopping onto the ground, kicking up a small mountain of dust that flies into the air.

And there's Sasuke. Sasuke limping away from the battlefield, beaten up worse than Naruto. He turns in Mikoto's direction and shouts "Mother!" in alarm.

I have to help Sasuke too. It's not just Naruto and Hinata here. All three of them are being targeted by this madman!

"Naruto," I say.

"Y-Yes?" Naruto asks. He's so scared. I can hear it in his voice. He's terrified and he's trying to keep himself together. I just want to hold him in my arms but that's not going to help him or I right now.

"You need to get Sasuke and Hinata to the tower. I don't care if you have both scrolls or not. Get them to the tower. You'll be safe there. I'll be able to save Hinata there," I say. "I can't do the counter-seal. Not in the middle of a battle. Too much can go wrong."

"Um . . . o-okay . . . w-what about Hinata?" Naruto asks.

"She needs to hold on until you can bring her there, Naruto. She needs to stay strong. She can't let this thing beat her." I turn to Hinata. "You hear me, Hinata? Don't let this thing beat you! Stay strong!"

"Y-Yes," she moans.

"Good. Now get her out of here, Naruto! I'll send Sasuke your direction!"

"All . . . all right! Stop him, Mom!" Naruto begs as I turn around to face Orochimaru's general direction.

"I will," I promise.

I hear them leave and I see Sasuke limping towards me, clutching his right arm. It doesn't look broken, maybe he just pulled something? Or is he trying to keep an open wound from bleeding too badly?

"I sent Naruto and Hinata out of here," I say. "Follow them. I'll keep Orochimaru at bay."

"All right," Sasuke hisses. He's clearly in pain. But he gamely begins running.

And that's when Orochimaru's body stretches from the shadows and comes right at me!

Oh crap!

"Chakra Chains Barrier!" I barely get my barrier up in time for Orochimaru to slam right into it, and he bounces off the shield. His legs catch up to his stretched-out body and he resumes a human-looking shape in a matter of seconds.

He tears off the remnants of what has to be Shiore's face, and he just _smiles_. "Well, well. It's you again, Kushina Uzumaki."

I let down the barrier and instead shift my Chakra Chains into weapons I can use at a moment's notice. "You bastard. How dare you."

Hinata, shaking and sobbing in my son's arms, pops into my mind. I had never seen it coming. All this time, I thought Orochimaru was just after Naruto and Sasuke. I just can't believe that . . .

"Why?" I ask. "Why Hinata? Why put her through so much pain?"

The grin grows wider, his eyes become wilder. "Oh? She's still alive?"

It's all I can do to keep my teeth from clenching. "Yes. She is. No thanks to you."

He chuckles. "Well now. Dear Anko must have toughened up that cowardly Hyuga girl somehow. I never guessed that she would be strong enough to weather the Cursed Seal of Heaven. What a _wonderful_ surprise."

That's it! He's dead!

"Here's a surprise for you, monster!" I send all of my chains angling right for him and Orochimaru leaps out of the way. I send my chains after him but he moves quickly, quicker than anything humanly possible, racing around the forests and trees.

And then he's gone.

Like he was never here to begin with.

Where'd he go?

I don't see Tenzo either. Mikoto's the only person I can see now, and she's struggling to get back up, she's wheezing. Orochimaru must've knocked the wind out of her or something.

Where can he-

From the right!

He's launching at me like a snake again, I don't see his legs!

I send my chains right at him but he's drawn his jian! He's deflecting them all, spinning around and knocking them into each other!

Impossible!

Crap, he's right on top of-

Agh!

He's coiled all around me!

What a disgusting, depraved _monster_! I'd throw up right now but it's so tight I can barely breathe!

"Get off of me," I choke out as I see Orochimaru's head appear to my right, on the edge of my peripheral vision.

"Trying to deprive me of my entertainment?" he asks me, his breath wafting down my ear, which makes my entire body shake as if it's being violated.

"Get off of me!" My chains are completely out of position, they're lying limp on the ground and I can't draw them back! He's coiled up so tightly around me that I can't move them!

He's breathing on my neck. He is literally breathing down my neck. His hands . . . his disgusting, pale hands, they're touching me! Touching my chin, touching my cheek!

He's _chuckling_. "I meant to give the Seal to your son but that Hyuga girl got in the way. He'd be fantastic for my purposes, Kushina. All it would take is the right push."

"Your target was Naruto all along?" I ask, trying to ignore his disgusting touch. I gotta come up with something to get him off of me!

_You can use my-_

BEAST I WILL NOT USE YOUR CHAKRA NOW SHUT UP!

"One target. The Hyuga girl ever so heroically pushed him out of the way. I was interested in little Sasuke as well but I suppose he's run off along with your son."

He's _touching_ me again. He seems to be _inspecting_ my face, one hand's rubbing my bangs, his other hand is running through the long hair trailing down my back.

"But now I'm wondering. Maybe I don't need to give Naruto my little gift after all. Maybe someone better has fallen right into my lap."

Oh no. Oh no. He can't be-

"Maybe I should use _you_," he purrs. "You have _such_ a youthful, beautiful body, after all. You wouldn't be a big difference from your lovely little boy. Maybe you'd be even _better_."

Like hell. Like hell you're going to make me into another one of your experiments!

One of his coils is right below my neck. I can feel his lips starting to touch my neck. Focus! Focus!

Bite him!

Bite him with all of your strength!

Oh God his flesh is disgusting! It's clammy and cold!

I hear him hiss in pain, and his grip loosens _just_ enough. Just enough!

I had not lost my grip on my kunai. I take them and stab them right into his body still wrapped around me!

Now the hiss becomes a raspy cry of agony! His coils retract and his body retreats to where his legs are!

I hear Tenzo! "Earth Style! Falling Earth Spears!"

Several spears launch at Orochimaru from behind and he dodges all but one. The last one scrapes him and he staggers into plain view, right in front of us.

I grab my neck. No. No, he didn't get me. I'd know if he did.

Damn it, my body hurts, and it's tingling, like it's almost numb. His grip had been _tight_.

Tenzo comes charging it but Orochimaru draws his jian again and after a couple of deflections Tenzo backs off towards my position. "Kushina, you all right?"

"Where were you?" I shout.

"I couldn't attack him without hurting you too! I'm sorry," Tenzo says.

Mikoto's lurching towards Orochimaru. "You're finished. We won't allow you beyond this point."

Orochimaru just _smiles_ again. It's like all of his injuries have been forgotten. "You really think so? I-"

Then from behind him, I see Kakashi Hatake come charging in, his right hand cackling, _glowing_, with electricity! "Lightning Blade!"

Orochimaru leaps away right before Kakashi could've skewered him, and he lands several feet away.

He chuckles and claps his hands sarcastically. "Good try, Kakashi! Good try! Too bad electricity makes _so_ much _noise_. I heard you coming from the moment you started your technique!"

"Bastard," Kakashi growls.

"Ah, 'bastard'. That and 'monster' seem to be what the Hidden Leaf wants to call me these days." Orochimaru looks among all of us, still as smug as ever. "It's almost as if I was never a part of your village."

"You _are_ a monster! You're targeting my _child_!" Mikoto snarls.

Orochimaru's facial expression does not change. Neither does his tone. It's clear that harsh words will not faze him, not one bit. "Maybe it's because I want to make him _my_ child, Mikoto Uchiha."

Mikoto aims to rush forward but Kakashi grabs her. "Wait, Mikoto! That's what he wants!"

"I'll kill you!" Mikoto shrieks. "I'll kill you for what you tried to do to Sasuke! I'll _kill_ you!"

Orochimaru casually shakes his head. "Good luck with that."

That's when his neck extends and his head suddenly shoots right in front of Mikoto.

"I can easily make you mine, right now, if I wanted to," Orochimaru coos. "But you're too _old_. You don't fit my purposes."

Kakashi moves to stab Orochimaru in the head but Orochimaru retreats back to the rest of his body. Mikoto, for her part, is shaking so much she can barely stand upright.

He could've taken her right then and there. He could've given Mikoto a Cursed Seal right in front of us and we wouldn't have been able to stop him.

How far out of our league is he?

"That's enough fun and games for today," Orochimaru sighs. "I suppose I'll have to satisfy myself with the cowardly Hyuga girl for_ now_. She seems to be made of tougher stock than I expected so she _may _survive. And she does have that Byakugan. That technique is . . . _useful_."

"You really think Hinata will come to you?" I shout. "You must be insane! She'll never do it!"

"You really think her clan will welcome her with my mark on her neck?" Orochimaru asks knowingly.

Oh no. I never thought of that. Hiashi is not the most tolerant man. He only tolerates _me_ because he finds me a necessity to the village! But he doesn't like Anko at _all_ and now Hinata is . . .

"She doesn't belong with Konoha anymore," Orochimaru chuckles. "She belongs to _me_. You may not want to believe it yet, and she may not realize it, but the Hyuga girl is _mine_. Now and forever, _mine_."

SHUT UP!

My attempt to skewer him with shuriken fails, he just steps aside and even catches one with his hands and casually drops it to the ground. "Tsk, tsk, Kushina. Haven't you learned from the other times you've tried this? It's not going to work on me."

His eyes look among us. "Please inform my dear old friend Hiruzen Sarutobi for me. Do not halt the exam under _any_ circumstances. If he does, it will spell the end for the Hidden Leaf Village. I'm not done having my fun just yet. And part of my fun is seeing whether this cowardly Hyuga girl is indeed tougher than my expectations. I'm looking forward to seeing what she becomes in the days ahead."

"You really think we'll just let you walk away?" Kakashi asks.

"You don't have much of a choice," Orochimaru replies. "And you all know it."

That's when Kabuto Yakushi appears, coming into view right at Orochimaru's side.

Oh no.

"Now, I must be going. I believe Kabuto here has some _enlightening_ information to give me. Farewell."

Orochimaru and Kabuto both vanish as quickly as Kabuto had appeared, leaving all four of us standing in the middle of the forest.

"Damn it," Tenzo growls. "What are we going to do?"

I don't know. I really don't know. This has gone wrong. Horribly wrong.

And I have no clue how to set things right. None at all.

All I can think about is how he almost took me, how he could've taken Mikoto . . .

How he nearly took Sasuke . . .

How only Hinata's sacrifice kept my son from falling into his clutches.

All of my strength, all of my power, and I couldn't save Naruto. There's no way I would've made it on time if Hinata had not sacrificed herself for him. In the end, I was helpless to protect my son.

Minato, what am I going to do?

What am I going to do?

I just don't know anymore.

It's just clear, so perfectly clear, crystal clear . . .

That everything, and I mean _everything_ has come apart _completely_.

And there's no way I can put it back together.

None at all.


	9. Pieces

Thanks for reading so far. More developments happening here.

* * *

**Chapter Nine: Pieces**

"What are we going to do? None of this is how we planned it! None of it!"

Mikoto's off in her own world right now, pacing back and forth, ranting to herself. I don't blame her. I'd be doing much the same thing right now except I'm literally forcing myself to keep my focus instead of being consumed with worry.

We're in the central tower right now, having traveled there since the battle with Orochimaru. I still haven't figured out how to tell Anko how all this has fallen apart. Or even how to explain what's happened to Hinata. Somehow, "By the way, Hinata's got the same seal as you now" doesn't sound like it's gonna cut it.

We left Anko and all of the other jonin-sensei out of the loop too. None of them had any idea they were throwing their genin into a potentially dangerous situation. Then again, none of _us_had any idea Orochimaru would show up _personally_. Or that the Hidden Sand were going to turn traitor either! And now, of course, Orochimaru is aware of all of that! Kabuto met up with him!

We blew it and now we're stuck reacting to Orochimaru! Though even when armed with information we were reacting to Orochimaru anyway. But now we have even less of an inkling of what Orochimaru's going to do next.

Hiruzen is on his way, we summoned him to the tower the moment we got back here. But right now, we're in a holding pattern, not sure of what to do or how to do it. One thing's for sure, there's no hiding Orochimaru's presence anymore. Not with that seal on Hinata's neck, and that's if Hinata even _survives_. And even if Hinata does survive, who knows how mentally stable she'll be! Anko pretty much came out and said to me in the Land of Snow she was borderline crazy after what Orochimaru did to her!

I can't believe I let this happen. I really can't.

I really have to take my mind off of this. It's the evening right now and I have to hope Hinata's still alive and Naruto and Sasuke are keeping her safe. And that they are still safe too. I know I told them to run to the tower regardless of whether they had the scrolls or not but with Hinata in really bad condition who knows how quickly they can get her here.

I want to go right out into that forest and help them but trying to track them down is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. There's no telling where they could be, just guesswork. Guessing isn't good enough, especially not now.

And I can't stand Mikoto muttering to herself anymore!

"Mikoto! Get your head back in the game!" I shout. "You're the proctor of the second test! Stop worrying about Orochimaru and think about your duties right now!"

Mikoto's dark eyes glare at me and I can tell she's biting back a snarl. "How can I concentrate on this exam after what just happened? Orochimaru was after my son!"

"He was after my son too! And guess what? _Neither_ of our sons got the seal! The only one who got the seal was the daughter of Hiashi Hyuga!" I shout back. "Hinata saved our sons by sacrificing herself!"

"I don't see Hiashi being pleased about this," Kakashi sighs. "Hinata was being phased out of being the clan heir in favor of Hiashi's young daughter Hanabi, but I know Hiashi well. He still wanted the best for Hinata."

"He has funny ways of showing it," I reply. Still, I have to believe Kakashi. There's no way Hiashi would abandon his daughter like Orochimaru predicted. Would he?

"I just want Sasuke inside this tower," Mikoto says. "The sooner he's in here, the better off I'll feel."

She still can't concentrate! "Mikoto, you are the proctor for the second test! Let Kakashi and I do the worrying about what Orochimaru's gonna do next! The good teams are going to be done in less than a day! You need to greet them!"

A chuunin who I recognize as Kotetsu Hagane interrupts. "Actually, that's what I was going to tell you all about."

"What?" I ask.

"Three teams have already cleared. They all broke the record of five hours and thirty-seven minutes. One team was done in _ninety-seven_ minutes."

"_What_?" Mikoto gasps. "There's no way! It can't be done! I took my own exam in the exact same forest and it took me two days!"

"Regardless, three teams have already passed and we've had them waiting for you to greet them," Kotetsu says.

Mikoto sighs. I guess she has no choice but to refocus now and worry about her duties. This means all of the worrying is on _my_ shoulders now, though.

"Who's passed?" Mikoto finally asks.

"The team that passed in ninety-seven minutes was Suna Team 3. The Kazekage's children," Kotetsu says. "There's something peculiar about them. I have some really odd video to show you."

"Video?" I ask. I've never heard of _that_ before.

Mikoto looks back at me. "It's some repurposed Sky Country technology that we're using for this exam. You have to see it to believe it."

Great. Something else for me to try to figure out, on top of everything else! Why not at this point?

"Who else passed?" I ask.

"Konoha Team 8 passed around the four-hour mark. Kurenai Yuhi's kids," the chuunin replies.

That doesn't surprise me. Regardless of how capable her teammates are, Sakura Haruno definitely strikes me as someone on the fast track to chuunin. I guess nothing is going to stand in her way of achieving that.

"And?" I ask.

"Taki Team 4. That's the team with the jinchuuriki, Fuu," Kotetsu replies. "They passed about twenty minutes before the previous record time."

So Fuu made it too. At least there's some good news out of this. Something to be proud of. Fuu is really coming onto her own right now, even though she still does weird things like crashing every dinner party I've attended in the last month. But that's just how Fuu is, I guess. She just has a knack of bringing laughter and energy into my life, just like Naruto does.

I guess I'll go greet Fuu personally soon, then. She's going to want to talk about how awesome she was. And there's no doubt on my mind she was. She's a talented girl, with the potential to be something great.

"There's no way we're going to avoid preliminaries this year," Mikoto says. "No wonder Ibiki couldn't get rid of even half of them. All of these ninja have to be absolutely astounding."

"You have no idea," Kotetsu says. "Let me show you the video."

* * *

I don't know what to be more amazed by. The fact that such a thing as "video" even exists, or the brutality in which Gaara of the Hidden Sand single-handedly and cruelly slaughtered a team of Ame genin by crushing them in sand. Just raw _sand_ is all it took for him to swarm all three Ame genin and turn them into pulp . . . and before he went for the kill he used sand to swipe the scroll his team needed to pass. His teammates didn't need to lift a finger to help him.

There's something wrong, horrifically wrong, with this kid. The video is black and white and a little grainy but the kid's soulless stare is something I can't take my eyes off of. There's no humanity at all in his eyes. There was no emotion at all as he killed those Rain genin or seemed to threaten his very teammates. Just cold, raw bloodlust.

"Who the hell is this kid?" Mikoto asks.

"Gaara of the Hidden Sand," Kotetsu replies. "Temari and Kankuro are the first names of his teammates, and they are also his older siblings. The Hidden Sand has a policy of never revealing family or clan names to foreigners so that's about all we know."

"No, that's not what I meant!" Mikoto says. She points right at the screen. "_Look_ at the kid! He doesn't even have a scratch!"

She's right. The kid doesn't even have a single frayed string on his clothing. Like he had taken no damage or had to exert himself at all. Even though Kankuro and Temari passed the same way Gaara did, both look winded, and after Gaara seeming to threaten them both with his sand they're both dirty from the sand grains. Gaara? He doesn't have a single mark on his body or his clothes. He looks as fresh as he did when he entered the training grounds.

"I'll be damned," Kotetsu says in awe.

"This is not normal," Mikoto says. "Look at the video we have of the other two teams that passed already. Even Fuu, who doesn't have a scratch on her, has grass stains on her knees. You literally can't make it through this forest at a genin level without a mark on you. There's man-eating creatures, poisonous plants, and with these Exams dozens of fellow ninja out to attack you! How can Gaara make it through without even getting dirty, much less a scratch?"

Mikoto's right. This doesn't make sense. "Fuu not having a scratch on her can be explained. She's a jinchuuriki like me. She has accelerated healing. She probably _did_ get scratched like both her teammates did and she's already healed from . . ."

Wait. Wait. Is that what's missing here? But there's no way! How could . . .

Could . . . could it be?

"Does anyone else think that Gaara could be a jinchuuriki?" I ask.

"The Hidden Villages participating in the exam are supposed to disclose to the host village whether they have a jinchuuriki taking the exam," Mikoto says. "The Hidden Waterfall Village followed procedure, we have all of the paperwork. The Hidden Sand provided no such thing."

Kakashi steps in. "Ah, but you see, remember what Karin got out of Kabuto the other day? The Hidden Sand is going to _betray_ us. They wouldn't tell us whether a jinchuuriki is involved because that jinchuuriki would play a pivotal role in a sneak attack."

"It's still unlikely," Mikoto says. "There's what, only nine known Tailed Beasts in the world? What are the odds that two jinchuuriki children are taking the exact same exam?"

"Regardless of the odds, I think it's worth looking into," Kakashi says. "When we begin the preliminaries I suggest watching Gaara close. _Real_ close."

Mikoto grumbles something and stares back at the screen. "This just gets better and better," she finally says.

"Adversity happens," says a voice I know all too well. "It is our job to persevere in spite of it."

"Lord Hokage!" I turn around and he's standing at the entrance to the room, flanked by Iruka, who in a lot of ways is basically Hiruzen's confidant in addition to being an Academy instructor.

"So you got the message," Mikoto says.

"I did." Hiruzen walks up to the video screen, at the paused image of Gaara, and then shakes his head.

"Well, our plan to counter Orochimaru has hit a considerable snag," Hiruzen finally says. "He now knows that we know. The question is whether he'll execute his plan anyway or whether he will make adjustments to further catch us off guard."

"What about the Hidden Sand?" Iruka sounds freaked out. Looks like he wasn't let into the loop until recently, perhaps not even until a few minutes ago. "When they find out how are they-"

Hiruzen looks at Iruka. "You saw me already take care of it. I sent a message to Jiraiya this morning and am instructing him to head to the Hidden Sand. We're going to confront the Kazekage directly about this and see if we can't force the Kazekage to change his mind. If we can get the Hidden Sand's cooperation, regardless of Orochimaru discovering his plan's been blown, there will be little he can do."

Hiruzen sighs and smokes his pipe briefly. "Orochimaru will have to get his hands much dirtier than he probably would want without the Hidden Sand. I am sure Orochimaru will try_something_ against us, if he has come this far he has a specific purpose in mind, but he will not have the Hidden Sand as his decoys and foot soldiers in his war against us. I've told Jiraiya to do whatever is necessary to get the Hidden Sand to cooperate, even assassinating the Kazekage himself if Jiraiya feels he must."

Hiruzen has it all figured out, huh? I hope he does. Because things have gone really off-track.

"You also got the message-" Mikoto is stopped by Hiruzen raising his hand.

"I know about Hinata Hyuga. Curious Orochimaru would choose _her_ out of all the potential targets he had in this exam to brand with his Cursed Seal of Heaven," Hiruzen replies.

"He did not mark Hinata intentionally," I say. "His true targets were what we thought, Naruto and Sasuke. Hinata sacrificed herself to keep Naruto from getting marked."

"That was not in the briefing sent to me," Hiruzen replies. "That clears _that_ up. I still have not figured out how to break the word to Hiashi over what's happened to his daughter. Considering how Anko reacted-"

Wait. Wait. Wait. "You _told_ Anko already, Lord Hokage?"

"She was eavesdropping on us," Iruka says. "Like she always does. She's in shock, I don't think it's fully hit her yet."

I can just imagine how Anko's going to react once it 'fully hits her' as Iruka put it. She's going to be _enraged_. She hates Orochimaru with a passion almost beyond belief! And not only did Orochimaru mark one of her students but we didn't tell her that Orochimaru had plans for this village either! She was left out of the loop!

"I'll be the one who meets her first," I say. "Anko knows me the best out of everyone in the room. It has to be me."

"I'm sorry," Iruka says.

"It's more on my hands than on yours," I reply. "We're the ones who messed up here, not you, and not Lord Hokage."

I look at the door Hiruzen entered, and I know where I have to go, regardless of everything else.

"I'm going to meet Anko right now," I say. "I assume she's in the waiting rooms for the jonin-sensei."

"Yes, though after what just happened we put Anko in a room by herself," Hiruzen replies. "Her room number is 204."

"Thank you," I reply. "Mikoto, I say we let the Hokage hash this out with Kakashi. You go and greet the passing genin before they begin to wonder if something's wrong. I'll go meet Anko and keep her calm. After that we meet back up with the Hokage and help work out the contingency plans."

"Right." Mikoto bites her lip. "Right."

"Then the both of you get going," Hiruzen says. "Do what you need to do and meet back up here. For right now, we are not cancelling the Chuunin Exams. We are not going to let a madman dictate what we do. Remember that."

"I will, Lord Hokage," I reply, and then I leave.

I just need to maintain my focus. That's what I have to do. I can't worry about Naruto and how he's doing out there. I just have to keep my focus.

Who knows how well I can do that when I speak with Anko, though . . .

* * *

Anko's brown eyes are a mixture of horror, pain, sorrow, and anger.

"Why?"

That one word that escapes from her mouth the moment she sees me is all I need to hear to understand how Anko must feel right now.

There's absolutely nothing I can say that will make her feel better.

I sit down next to her. Anko flinches but otherwise does not react. I get the sense she wants to hit me. I do not blame her.

"We received intelligence that Orochimaru was planning on interfering with the Chuunin Exams. Naruto and Sasuke were specifically mentioned as being targets, Anko," I say. "We never fathomed that Orochimaru would dare to enter Konoha personally and attempt to inflict the Cursed Seal on them. As it is, if it wasn't for Hinata's sacrifice, it would be _Naruto_ who would have the Cursed Seal right now."

"You don't think I don't know that?" I look at Anko and she's glaring me, tears in her eyes. "Kushina, why didn't you tell me this was happening? I'd never have entered them into the Exam if I had known!"

"Anko-"

"_Kushina_!" Anko seems to raise her hand as if to slap me, and then pulls it down. Instead she stands up and looks right into my eyes. "There's no way in hell I would've put those kids in the exam if you people had just told me! That's all you would've had to do! I was wondering why the Hokage and everyone else seemed intent on convincing me to not enter them into the Exam and now I know why!"

"We left all of the jonin-sensei out of the loop, Anko," I reply. "Not just you."

"I think I had the right to know because it's _Orochimaru_, Kushina! That monster tried to make me like him! And now he came after my little brother and my other students because he couldn't get me! You don't think I deserved to know, Kushina?"

"We didn't want to tell you because we wanted to reduce the chances of anything leaking!" I reply. "We didn't want Orochimaru to have any clue we were ready for him!"

"Fat lot of good that did, didn't it? Now Hinata's suffering somewhere out in those woods if she isn't _dead_!" Anko screams.

I can't look at her anymore. She's sobbing. Her face is red and blotchy and there's so many tears pouring from her eyes that I just can't look. She really formed a close bond with them, all of them. It never really hit me until now just how much they truly meant to her.

"I should've told you," I finally say. "You're right."

"_Now_ it hits you?" Anko screams. "After what just happened to them? We're lucky all three of them weren't bitten by that bastard!"

"We're lucky _I_ didn't get bit!" I shout back.

Anko's eyes widen. "W-What?"

Damn it. Now it's all rushing back. I'm not sure if I'm ever going to forget it. "I was trying to buy Naruto and the others time to get out of there, and Orochimaru _wrapped himself_ around me like a snake. He put his head right next to my neck and he nearly gave me the Cursed Seal of Heaven. The only reason why he didn't is because I bit him first."

I can't keep my hands and legs from shaking. "I was really scared, Anko! Orochimaru's out of my league! He touched me, he . . ."

I can't think about it anymore. It's just too much. "I'm lucky I got off with my body just being sore, okay? I had no idea how _evil_ Orochimaru really is. No wonder you were so screwed up right after Orochimaru cast you off. That man . . . has a way of twisting and contorting your head that it drives you insane."

"Yeah. I know," Anko snaps. "I know everything that bastard can do. That's why I needed to be clued in too! Maybe I could've warned you people of what he's capable of! Then no one needed to have been bitten, and this village wouldn't be in so much danger!"

Anko turns away from me and stares at the wall. "Kushina . . . after . . . after Naruto became my little brother . . . I promised myself . . . I would be the opposite of what Orochimaru is. I still feel it sometimes. The hatred. The bloodlust. The desire to kill. I fight those impulses whenever they come up because I know they will just turn me into another Orochimaru. Which is what he wants, Kushina. He wants more people to be like _him_."

Anko looks back at me. "And now Hinata's going to feel it too, if she lives. She's not like me, Kushina. I was toughened up for years before Orochimaru bit me. Hinata . . . is a gentle, sweet girl. Very thoughtful and supportive. I didn't try to toughen her up as much as I could've because Hinata's compassion was a potential strength. And now . . . if she lives . . . that compassion is going to go away."

Anko buries her head into her hands. "And . . . and, and, and Naruto, and Sasuke. What if he comes after them again? Kushina-"

I grab her and hold her in my arms.

"I know you hate my guts right now," I say. "I hate myself too right now. I should've told you. I just . . ."

Naruto's face emanates in front of me and now I know why I didn't. "I didn't want to take Naruto's dream from him. This was the Exam he wanted to pass. He wanted to pass in front of the hometown crowd. Nothing I could say could dissuade him. I finally gave up and decided I would find some way to keep him safe while he took the exam here. And I failed. I failed _horribly_."

Naruto's out in those woods right now, probably trying to force Hinata to keep living. He could be all alone if Sasuke didn't catch up to them. Who knows if someone might try to finish him off or not. I have no way of knowing.

"Well," Anko says softly. "Naruto _is_ safe. Hinata is not."

"I know."

"I'll be _damned_ if I let that bastard turn Hinata into someone like him," Anko says. "He's not gonna win. If he comes after Sasuke and Naruto again I'll kill him myself. Those kids are my _life_, Kushina. Orochimaru's not going to take them away from me."

"I'm with you," I say. "I promise. I'm going to work with you here. This is never going to happen again, Anko."

A knock on the door. "Who is it?" I ask.

Kakashi pokes his head inside. "Is it safe to me to-"

"You _asshole_!" Anko takes her shoe and chucks it right at Kakashi's head. Kakashi doesn't even try to dodge, it slams into him right in the head and he falls backwards onto this back, moaning, as the door slides the rest of the way open.

"I guess not," Kakashi groans from the floor.

"I want some alone time with Kakashi," Anko growls. "I'm not through talking with you yet, Kushina, but I'm not as angry with you as I am with this guy."

"Um, okay." Something tells me that Kakashi isn't going to enjoy the next few moments of his life.

As I step aside, Anko drags Kakashi into the room. "I take it we're breaking up?" Kakashi moans.

"I'm gonna kick your ass and _then_ we're breaking up," Anko snaps, and then the door shuts, cutting off all sound.

Yeah . . . something tells me I got off easy. _Really_ easy.

Poor Kakashi.

* * *

"And then I just went 'whack' and the guy went 'duh' and he wobbled around like a dizzy duck before Kyuzo went it and chopped his legs and he crumpled to the ground with an 'ugh'!" Fuu says, finishing her narration of how she obtained the Heaven Scroll her team needed.

Fuu's account of the battle was jumbled and nonsensical but with Kanna correcting details I can at least make some sense of it. Basically a team from the Hidden Grass got the jump on Fuu's team, but Kanna took the brunt of the assault, allowing Fuu to get behind the other team and basically knock them all out with some help from Kyuzo.

Kanna wields a pair of katana and she was quick enough with them to avoid any permanent damage despite the battle being three-on-one for a brief period. Kyuzo, for his part, uses long knives and scalpels, he's a medical ninja by trade but can do some fighting. So basically they just wrapped things up and after Kyuzo patched Kanna up they marched right to the tower and qualified.

"Well . . . sounds like it was a pretty eventful battle," I say.

"No kidding," Kanna says. "That still gives me the shakes. There's no way I would've handled more than one day in there. The stress was killing me."

"I was okay," Kyuzo says plainly. "I wasn't scared."

"You were ready to pee your pants when that ambush happened," Fuu says.

"I was not!" Kyuzo snaps back.

I don't want an argument between these kids right now. "Look, what matters is that you guys passed, okay? You all did well. Broke the record."

"Yeah, but two other teams broke the record before _us_!" Fuu whines. She shakes her head. "I want a piece of those Sand guys. They had to have cheated. There's no way it didn't even take two hours for them to pass. The only reason why we passed so quickly is 'cause we found the tower right after we got the scrolls we needed!"

"I don't think they cheated, Fuu," I say. "There's something up with the leader of their team, Gaara. He's not a typical genin."

"Yeah. He's not typical as in he's a _cheater_." Fuu grins mischievously. "I can't wait to kick his butt in the finals."

If Fuu saw the video of Gaara using sand to turn three ninja into bloodied pulp, she would not be so confident. Still, I'm not going to kill her spirits. If what the others are predicting comes true, Fuu will see how good Gaara really is in the preliminary round. And then she'll be thinking otherwise.

"You would sound cooler if you swore," Kyuzo says nonchalantly.

Kanna wisely steps in before another argument. "Fuu has her reasons, Kyuzo. Lay off."

"Whatever," Kyuzo folds his arms and looks away, a classic pouting gesture.

Fuu will likely never tell Kyuzo why she doesn't swear. She hasn't even told me why, not completely. I just know it has to deal with Choumei somehow. Perhaps Choumei doesn't like swear words, or Fuu doesn't want Choumei to feel like its a creature from hell. It's something like that.

Choumei doesn't sound like a particularly bad Tailed Beast. In fact, from what little Fuu has told me about Choumei, the Tailed Beast is actually _pleasant_ or close to it. It makes me wonder why the Nine-Tails is not like Choumei that way.

_Choumei is a fool, that's why._

I didn't ask for your opinion.

_You never do. And you wonder why we don't get along._

Just what I need right now, the Nine-Tails getting pithy with me.

"Anyway, when's Naruto gonna finish?" Fuu asks. "I told him I'd beat him here."

"I don't know," I say, and that's the honest truth. They could be anywhere in that forest, doing anything. Or even be dead, but I'm not going to consider _that_ possibility. If I do, I'm just going to go crazy.

"They may have run into trouble," Kanna says. "It's a possibility."

"Maybe," Fuu says. "Hopefully they just got lost or something. Maybe they'll make it here tomorrow when it's light outside again."

"Yeah, probably," Kanna says. Her eyes suggest, however, she knows something's wrong. It's probably me giving her that impression.

"All right, well, I need to be going. I'm going to be in the tower for the next few days though so we'll have plenty of time to talk later. I'm assisting Ms. Mikoto Uchiha with the exam," I say.

"Really, so soon?" Fuu asks.

She has no idea I've been listening to her ramble on with Kanna's assistance for the last hour. "Yes, I'm afraid. Sorry. There's a lot of stuff going down and Ms. Uchiha needs my help sorting it out. I'm really glad you guys passed, though. I think it's the first time in two years a team from Taki has passed the second stage. You guys really have pulled off an underdog victory here."

Fuu chuckles and seems to blush. "I guess we did! We're awesome like that!"

"We just found a team weaker than us," Kyuzo says.

"That's almost _everybody_, Kyuzo!" Fuu replies. "Because we're just that good! We broke the record!"

"Two other teams broke the record before we did," Kyuzo says.

Fuu hangs her head. "Don't remind me."

I pat Fuu on the shoulders. "Hey, look at it this way. You cleared the exam faster than I did. It took me two days to pass the second stage in my attempt."

"Wow, really?" Fuu asks.

"Yes. But I'll tell you about it later. I really have to help the proctor here. We've never had three teams break the record before, after all," I say.

"All right," Fuu says with a sigh.

"Thank you. Great job, you guys," I say, and then I walk away.

It's a good thing too, because I can't stand it anymore. I was really hoping Naruto would make it here before nightfall. It isn't a long shot from where they were to the tower, not unless they ran off in the wrong direction. If they ran off in the wrong direction, then there isn't much I can do to help them because I have no clue where they could've gone and where they could go to get back on course.

If they don't make it here in a couple of days, though, I'm going out to find them. I don't care that it's going to disqualify them. They need to be where it's safe. Especially if Hinata survives the Seal. Orochimaru seemed to think she would, after all. He seemed quite interested in the fact that she was still alive . . .

Heaven help me. What am I going to do?

As I walk through the hall, I see Anko and Kakashi hugging each other. I guess Kakashi found the right words to not only calm Anko down but keep their relationship from crumbling in its first week. I wonder what the words could be. I could use some words to calm myself down.

Because right now, I think I'm in for a sleepless night.

I do have one trump card left if Naruto gets in serious trouble, though. That's the only reason why I'm not panicking right now.

I just hope Naruto doesn't need it. Because for that trump card to activate . . .

I just can't even bear to think about it.

Come on, Naruto. Come on, Sasuke. Come on, Hinata.

Make it here. You all can do it.

Please.

For everyone here.

Live.

* * *

We will return to the Forest of Death for the next chapter. There is more to tell there before Kushina takes back main POV duties. Please be patient.


	10. Complications

The new chapter brings us back to Sasuke Uchiha's POV. Today's my birthday as well, so I'm doing a special double post.

Animus: I WILL respond to you in detail late tonight. I'm sorry, I'm working late tonight. But I will say a lot of the problems is due to the canon's own story. I couldn't find a good reason to alter that aspect of the canon regarding Orochimaru and the threat he poses. Albeit, you do, so I guess that makes me stupid. XD

* * *

**Chapter Ten: Complications**

_Sasuke Uchiha_

How long have I been running?

I don't even know anymore. My body feels like it's gonna give out, and my stomach's doing flips, like I'm gonna throw up. I've clearly pushed myself to my limit and then some.

I think the only thing that's keeping me going is the fear. The fear of Orochimaru. What he had done to us. Naruto and I never stood a chance and Hinata . . . poor Hinata. Damn it, why couldn't have been me instead? Why Hinata? Why her?

I've tried to bandage my right elbow the best I can but I can't seem to stop the bleeding. I haven't cut an artery, I'd already be dead if that had happened. But it's just _bleeding_, slowly but steadily, barely slowing down. I don't know how I'm going to keep this up, with me bleeding, without me having any idea where Naruto and Hinata are. I'm an easy mark by myself.

I hope Mother's all right. Orochimaru was throwing her around like a rag doll. I know Naruto's mother was there too, and she's strong, but I don't know if she can fight Orochimaru straight-up either. Orochimaru is just . . . just so _strong_! And what he's able to do is because what should be humanly possible! Anko-sensei had said precious little about him and now I know why. Orochimaru's a _monster_. No wonder Anko-sensei never wanted to talk about him! No wonder she's rejected him! No wonder she tries to be the opposite of him! Who wouldn't do those things after meeting Orochimaru for the first time?

_Snap_.

What the-

Damn it!

A net? I've really fallen for a net?

I must be off my game! How'd I fall for such an easy trap? Come on, find some kunai. Cut your way out of this before it's too late!

"Aha! Caught you!" That voice! How lucky was I to be caught by . . .

Naruto blunders out of the bushes. "Wait a minute . . . _Sasuke_?"

"Yeah, it's me!" I slice one of the nets and I fall to the ground, barely landing on my feet. "And I'm not playing a stupid identity game either. I'm too tired and too scared!"

"You don't see _me_ arguing!" Naruto turns away. "I've gotten Hinata hidden inside a tree. She's not looking too good."

"She's not?" Oh no. Is the Seal already killing her?

"No, she's not." Naruto's hands turn into fists. "She's really not. I don't know what to do. It should've been _me_ who got bit, not Hinata. Why'd she do that? She had to have known she would be bit instead."

"She did it to save you," I say. "Because we take care of each other. That's something Anko-sensei's always told us. 'Protect each other and take care of each other', remember?"

"That's the mantra of Team 7, yeah," Naruto says. "That doesn't mean . . ."

He bites his lip. "We . . . we all know how _lethal_ that seal is, Sasuke. Hinata knew she was likely going to die and she did that for me anyway. What makes me more important than her, you know?"

"You _are_ important, Naruto," I say. "In that moment Hinata decided you were more important than her. And right now, Hinata wherever you've hid her is more important than either us. We have to protect her and make sure she lives, Naruto. If she lives, there's hope that someone can help her. At the very least Anko-sensei will make sure Hinata will be okay."

"Yeah, yeah, right," Naruto says, rubbing his eyes. "I'll show ya where she is."

I follow Naruto through the woods and we come across a tree near a clearing, and when we enter the tree, I see Hinata's body, draped in a blanket. She's moaning and her face is drenched in sweat.

"Your supplies came in handy," Naruto says softly. "I've been giving her water. She just keeps sweating it off. It's like she's got a fever or something."

"No kidding." I walk up to Hinata then and kneel at her side. "Hinata, can you hear me? It's Sasuke."

"S-Sasuke?" Her voice is so soft.

"Yes, Sasuke. I'm right here with Naruto. We're both here, Hinata."

"Sasuke . . . N-Naruto . . . it hurts . . ."

"Yeah. We know." Dammit, can't I say anything better than that?

Hinata moans and twists in the bed and I grab her hand. "Hinata, you need to hold on, okay? In the morning, we're gonna get you to the tower. That's a promise. They can help you in the tower. Once we're there they can take care of the seal. Make it like Anko-sensei's."

"It hurts . . ."

"I know, Hinata. I know. Just listen to me, okay? Just keep fighting it. Just hold on. Naruto and I will keep you safe."

"Please . . . please don't . . ." Hinata moans.

"Damn it, Hinata!" Naruto cries. He marches right over to the other side and grabs Hinata's other hand. "Don't think you're not worth it, okay? You're the one who needs to be protected right now! You protected me and now I'm returning the favor, believe it!"

"N-Naruto?"

"I'm gonna protect you, Hinata! Me and pretty boy here!" Naruto says. "So don't die on us! You're gonna beat this thing and we're gonna make it to the tower and we're going to relax until this stupid exam is over!"

"N-Naruto . . ."

"Promise me, Hinata!" Naruto says.

"I . . . I promise . . ."

"Thank you! Now just keep breathing. We're gonna keep giving you water, okay? Just keep breathing and don't let that seal win!" Naruto says.

"O . . .Okay . . . N-Naruto." Hinata lets out a soft moan and twitches again, and her hand becomes tighter than a vise in my own hand.

She's in so much pain. I don't know how she can stand it. It seems Naruto's given her a bit more fight though. It might make the difference. She might be able to hold on and survive the seal's chakra. She _might_.

"Come on," Naruto whispers, probably more to himself than Hinata. I don't know how he does it, come up with these encouraging words and speeches that make everyone believe in themselves more . . . and believe in _him_. It makes me wonder if _he_ should be the team leader sometimes.

Maybe someday in the future that's what he'll be, if he keeps this up. He just can't get the whole package together. He can do the big leadership speeches but he doesn't have the basics down yet. He isn't a leader over the little, more mundane things. That's why I'm still in charge.

"All right, Naruto," I say, taking out my pack. "Right now, you and I both should have some water too. Hinata takes priority because she's sweating all of her fluids out but you and I are gonna drop without water too, especially after all of that running."

"Ah . . . all right," Naruto sighs. "I'm getting a headache, it's 'cause I haven't had any water, right?"

"Right. And don't worry about drinking it all," I say. "I bought a couple of water purifiers with me. We'll just use them on the river water and bottle the cleaned water if we have to. We're not going to be hurting for water."

"Okay," Naruto says. "Okay. Got it."

"And right after you have some water, you go and reset the trap I triggered because I have no clue where your other traps are. I'll stay with Hinata while you do that," I say. "After that, we each take turns sleeping and being on watch."

Hinata seems to have fallen into a kind of painful, labored sleep. "And each time we take turns, we team up to make sure Hinata keeps getting water. Got it?"

"All right." Naruto seems to be getting his head back to reality now. Good. Because that's where we gotta be.

I wish I could find a way to help Hinata pull through but right now it looks like it's out of our hands. The only thing I have power over is making sure Hinata stays safe and keeps having water.

I let go of Hinata's hand then and carefully move it under her blanket. Naruto does the same.

"Go," I say. "I'll make sure Hinata's okay."

"I'm on it." Naruto takes a deep breath and exhales. "I'm on it. Trap will be back up in a jiffy."

He moves to run out, then suddenly pauses. And then he leaps back inside as kunai come flying through the gap, flying behind me and impacting the interior of the tree trunk.

"Crap!" Naruto growls. "Sasuke, we've got company!"

"I know!" I've got two kunai left, I grab one of them, and I also grab my spare Heaven Scroll. I think it's about time we barter.

I run up to the opening. "Who the hell is there?"

"Just somebody who wants your scroll! I saw what's going on in there, you've got a downed teammate! Hand over the scroll or we're gonna kill her!"

It's a young man, sounds sixteen, seventeen. I peek out and I can see three people standing in the clearing, and they're wearing Hidden Rain emblems. They're all about the same age, and they're all male.

"We've got a Heaven Scroll," I say. "You can have it. But only if you leave us alone!"

"Come out and hand it over to us!" the Rain genin shouts. "Or we're going in there to get it!"

"It's a trap, Sasuke!" Naruto hisses.

"You don't think I know that?" I reply.

"What'll we do?" Naruto asks.

"Simple. I rush them, and then you Chakra Chain them all," I say. "There's no guarantee they won't harm Hinata or send any buddies they have in after us. The only way we can guarantee Hinata's safety is to beat them."

"All right." Naruto takes a deep breath and makes a few hand signs to focus his chakra. "Go. Hurry. I'll back you up."

I set down the Heaven Scroll and pull out my other remaining kunai. "Don't let me get killed, Naruto."

"That's not gonna happen," Naruto says. "I'm not failing you. Believe it."

All right. This is a stupid plan, a psycho plan, but it's all I got. It's the only way to make sure Hinata will be safe.

There's no choice!

I charge out of the opening, and I immediately see a wave of kunai being thrown at me! I use my Sharingan as a guide, weaving my way around the kunai the best I can and then throwing the two I have directly at the three Rain genin, who deflect them both.

Naruto shouts "Chakra Chains Technique!"

Three chains come flying past me and towards the genin, and they scatter, but one's tied up right away.

I eye the one to the left. "Fire Style! Fireball Technique!"

The fire pouring at him catches him off guard. He screams as the fire swarms him, and then there's nothing.

I don't have time to focus on him, though, here comes the other guy, struggling through Naruto's chains wrapped around him. Naruto seems to be split with the guy he's got chained up and the other one who's avoided the chains and is attacking him at close range.

The guy fighting Naruto at close range does a backflip, aiming right for me.

"Crystal Style! Crystal Lance Technique!" I summon the violent crystallized lance and charge him, and we trade blows for several seconds, but I'm faster than he is. I cut his left arm open and then Naruto swings the guy he tied up into my opponent and they go crashing to the ground.

One of them immediately bounces back onto his feet and rushes me, but I deflect him and stab him in the stomach, but he suddenly explodes into smoke, blinding me.

He was a Shadow Clone. This guy was _really_ good to maintain a Shadow Clone through all of that abuse!

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouts. "Watch out!"

Damn it, he's coming from behind-

The _real_ ninja suddenly gags from a shuriken going right into his throat. Grabbing his throat, he collapses to the ground, flopping around and tossing himself back and forth as he tries to get it out of his throat.

Movement from behind me! Don't worry about that guy, pay attention to what's behind you!

The other guy's gotten back up as well! He's going to fight to the death!

There's no thought process. No reconsideration. Just action.

I throw my Crystal Lance like a javelin and it goes right through his chest, and he collapses to the ground, speared right through the heart. The lance shatters then, just leaving a dead body on the ground.

The last of them is still gagging on the ground, writhing back and forth, in clear agony.

"Oh crap." It takes me a moment to realize Naruto's standing right next to me.

I look over at him, and Naruto looks pale. Like he's gonna throw up.

The ninja's hands finally fall limp, and so does his head, his eyes wide open, staring into space, staring right at the both of us.

"I . . . I had to do it," Naruto says softly. "He was gonna attack you and . . ."

Naruto falls onto his knees. "Damn it!"

He punches the ground. "Damn it! There had to be a better way! Damn it! Damn it!"

"We know there wasn't," I say. Flashes of what I did to the other two genin go through my mind. Killing them was easier than killing Miyore. It took far less hesitation to do it here. I'm not sure I like that at _all_.

"This isn't fair!" Naruto sounds like he's _crying_. "Why? Why did they have to die? Why did they have to try to kill us in the first place? Why?"

I don't have a good response to that. I don't want to say anything at all. With the way my stomach's turning right now, if I say something, I think I'm going to throw up.

"Naruto," I finally say, clutching my stomach so it won't explode on me, "I'll take care of the bodies . . . you reset your trap . . . and make some more. Okay?"

"Damn it!" Naruto shouts.

"Naruto, we can't freak out right now. Hinata needs us to protect her! That's why we did what we did!" I shout. "Now come on! We protect each other, Naruto!"

"This sucks!" Naruto stands up and just _looks_ at me, like he wants to both punch me and cry. "I didn't want to kill anybody, okay? I wanted my ninja way to be different! I wanted something _better_ for everybody!"

"You think I wanted to kill them too?" I ask. "We didn't have any choice! They made sure there was no choice! It was a fight to the death, them or us! There was no way we can let it be us, Naruto! Hinata's counting on us!"

Naruto stares at me, and finally he looks away. "Damn it."

He rubs his eyes. "All right . . . all right. Just . . . just get these guys outta here, all right?"

"I will," I say. "And keep your guard up, Naruto. We can't end up like these guys, got it?"

"I know, I know." Naruto races into the woods then, leaving me in the clearing surrounded by the dead.

* * *

Damn it, I'm so tired. I couldn't sleep at all next to Hinata. All I could think about is another attack, that and what Naruto and I had to do to keep ourselves alive. I just can't sleep. I'm exhausted and scared and worn out and I can't get the people we killed out of my head.

Naruto and I had managed to gather all of the weapons the Rain genin had on them as well as their supplies. There was no choice, we needed the spare weaponry and it helped to create more traps and make them more dangerous. And the spare supplies were mostly water which is what we desperately needed since we're using up a _lot_ of it on Hinata.

So now, I wait. Weapons at the ready, listening for anything human so I can attack it.

It's just the sounds of frogs and toads and crickets and owls out there. Wildlife. Plus occasionally a growl of something bigger.

Naruto is snoring by Hinata. He at least seems to be getting a little sleep. But he's even more tired than I am, I think. Pure exhaustion is probably what's allowing him to get any rest at all.

I keep thinking over that attack in mind, if there was any way Naruto and I could've done something different to ensure that they survived. I just can't come up with one. They were really determined to kill us and if we held back they probably would've succeeded. We didn't hold back, we attacked them with everything we had and that wiped them out.

I don't want to think about the corpses I brought to bury in a random spot in the woods. It was a rush job, but hopefully no one else will come marching in. We've got two Heaven Scrolls and two Earth Scrolls now. I really, _really_ would prefer bartering over having to kill someone else.

Two hours. Two hours before we trade again. I can hold out another two hours. Then I'm definitely going to be tired enough to get some sleep no matter what.

Just focus on the outdoors. Focus on the noises. Listen for anything-

_Plop_.

Human.

Crap.

All right. Don't make a sound. Just wait. Just . . .

"Sasuke? Naruto? Are you two in there?"

Ms. Uzumaki?

How'd she find us-oh wait. She's an S-class. Duh.

Naruto stirs. "Did . . . did I just hear Mom?"

"Sasuke, Naruto? I'm here to help Hinata. I just need you two to point out the traps for me to get through, okay?"

Sounds like Ms. Uzumaki. I should probably peek outside and . . .

Yeah. That's Ms. Uzumaki right there, standing on the edge to the clearing.

Naruto crawls up next to me. "How'd Mom find us?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," I say. "You think she's got some way to track you?"

"No." Naruto scratches his back then. "Crap. My back's itching like crazy. I could barely sleep at all."

"Naruto? Sasuke? Are you two okay?"

Naruto sighs. "Yeah, we're fine."

Naruto looks at me. He mouths _Trap_.

How'd Naruto figure that one out so quick? If that's not the real Kushina Uzumaki then that's a really, _really_ good transformation. Even has Ms. Uzumaki's speech pattern nailed down.

"Thank the heavens! Naruto, I was so worried! After what happened-"

"Spare me." Naruto marches out into the clearing, slowly drawing a kunai. "You're not my mom. Drop the act before I kick your ass. I've already killed someone today, I don't wanna kill anyone else if I can help it."

"Naruto?" Ms. Uzumaki sounds stunned. "Look, I understand if you're-"

"Dammit, you're not my mom!" Naruto points a finger at Ms. Uzumaki. "And you wanna know why?"

Ms. Uzumaki just _stares_.

"My real mom is the strongest kunoichi in Konoha! She gets the toughest missions in the village! An A-rank is a so-called 'easy' mission for her! My mom can maneuver her way around my traps like they were nothing! She would not ask me to point them out or neutralize them for her!"

Wow. Naruto's actually right. That makes complete sense.

"So drop your stupid act! You're not my mom! And you, whoever you are, will never come close to being as great as she is! Believe it!" Naruto says with finalty.

Suddenly, Ms. Uzumaki's face sports a smile. A cruel, knowing one. The impersonator knows it's all over. "Damn. All of that work perfecting my impression and it's for _nothing_."

Ms. Uzumaki vanishes in a cloud of smoke, and suddenly, stepping out of the smoke, is Zaku Abumi, the Sound genin we met in the Land of Snow.

"Figures it'd be you," Naruto says.

Zaku chuckles. "You guys made it pretty easy to find you with all of that bellowing you two were doing during and after that fight. Unfortunately, now's the time for you and Sasuke to die."

Dosu and Kin appear then. Kin looks annoyed. "Told you I should've been the one to imitate Kushina Uzumaki. Zaku screwed it up, Dosu."

"It doesn't matter. I had a feeling it was gonna come down to this anyway," Dosu says.

Gotta back up Naruto. He's out in front, and I have to be the guy who makes sure they don't get inside the tree to mess with Hinata. Gotta step out there and get ready to fight.

This is gonna be bad, I can tell. Both Naruto and I are exhausted and these guys look fresh. I don't think they have a scratch on them. It's like the last day's had no effect on them, like they've avoided battle until this point.

"I prefer a straight up fight anyway," Zaku says confidently. "We're looking forward to getting revenge for the Land of Snow. We had to hold back then, we were ordered to leave you alive. Now . . ."

He raises his arms in front of him. "Now orders have been changed. We're here to kill you both, but in particularly _you_, Sasuke Uchiha."

"Me?" I ask. "Why me?"

"Orders," Zaku says casually. "So do us all a favor and die for us, okay?"

"Chakra Chains Technique!" Naruto summons his three chains and brandishes them. "Try it! I ain't rolling over, not for you three jerks!"

"The two of you look like you can barely stand," Dosu says. "You both would be better off if you'd just let us put you out of your misery."

"Fat chance!" Naruto snaps.

Dosu says. "Zaku, give them a demonstration."

"My pleasure!" Zaku positions his arms in front of him. "Have a taste of my Slicing Sound Wave!"

This is just like the Land of Snow. Zaku seems to have something embedded in his arms and hands, something that allows him to generate-

But Zaku doesn't shoot the waves at _us_. Instead, he spins around and fires them at every conceivable angle, including the ground in front of us!

Suddenly, I see traps, lots of them, suddenly trigger harmlessly or come completely undone. Everything from tiny disguised potholes in the clearing in front of us to a giant spiked log all trigger and collapse harmlessly, except for the log, which Zaku destroys in mid-air, sending splinters all over the place.

I can't believe it. All of that work. All of that effort. Just _wasted_.

Zaku stops then, and he just _grins_ at us. "Well, I guess there's no more danger. Good try, though. Some of those actually look like they could kill us, that is, if we _didn't already know they existed_."

This explains why they didn't attack immediately after the Rain genin. They took the time to identify and work their way around every trap that was set for them. And, just to make sure they no longer interfere, Zaku just destroyed them all. Just like _that_.

Zaku aims for the both of us then. "Now for the both of you!"

The sound waves shoot right at the both of us and I barely get out of the way in time. The wave flies past me and just barely misses the tree where we're keeping Hinata.

I see Dosu charging him, his arm about the strike. He's going to do the same trick that he tried in the Land of Snow too!

Well, guess what? I have _new_ tricks! "Fire Style! Phoenix Flower Technique!"

I fire four fireballs at Dosu and he leaps around him, trying to flank me. Kin's also charging me, armed with senbon, but one of Naruto's chains promptly grab her and throw her into the woods.

Then I see Dosu right in front of my face! "You're finished, Sasuke Uchiha!"

I draw one of the kunai I took from the Rain genin and stab upwards at him, and Dosu backs off _just_ enough to only have the scarf around his neck be cut by my strike.

"You react quickly," Dosu says. "Not bad. You _have_ gotten better since our last encounter."

"Go _away_!" Zaku shouts. I spin to my right and I see, and _jhear_, Naruto get struck by one of Zaku's sound waves, and Naruto . . . is coming right for me.

Oh crap-

My face is covered in orange and the next thing I know we've both crashed into some bushes, and my face is _sore_. And I think my nose is bleeding too.

"Ow," Naruto groans from the ground.

"You just don't give up, do you?" Zaku shouts. "You two know you don't stand a chance against us! I bet you guys barely have enough chakra to stand up! What makes you guys fight so damn hard when you know the inevitable's gonna happen?"

Naruto is already staggering to his feet. "That's 'cause it's _not_ inevitable. Nothing is."

Huh. I guess Naruto has a point there.

Come on, get up. As long as Naruto keeps fighting you're going to keep fighting too. They're here to kill you, and you're not going to let that happen. After everything else that's just happened, I am not going to die to three punks from a small village I've barely heard about!

"Damn it, why won't this stop _itching_?" Naruto growls, trying to scratch his shoulder. He gives up after a moment and he stares down all three of our opponents, including Kin who's just returned to the clearing.

"Doesn't the orange idiot ever stop?" Kin asks, probably rhetorically.

"No!" Naruto answers. He makes some handsigns and reaches for a pair of kunai. "Wind Style! Wind Slash Technique!"

He uses the kunai to propel dual forces of wind at the Sound genin, but they all leap out of the way. Naruto summons his Chakra Chains then and sends them flying after the genin, making them dance all around the clearing. Naruto seems to be trying to force them to stick their feet into the exposed potholes so they can turn their ankles, but they seem too agile and smart for that.

Gotta help Naruto. He can't fight these three by himself!

I see Dosu's the closest. He's the leader, and he's the one who can end it all in an instant. If Dosu's right arm gets next to our ears, we're done! There's no way we'll be able to keep our balance, much less fight!

The last thing Dosu would expect is a direct assault!

"Crystal Style! Crystal Lance Technique!" I feel exhausted the moment I form the lance. I hope I didn't make a mistake by resorting to making crystals.

I rush Dosu then, and he turns and sees me coming at the last second. "What the-"

He uses his arm to deflect the first blow, and then resorts to dodging me as I swipe and stab at him.

"How the hell can you do that?" Dosu shouts. "That's my sensei's kekkei genkai! There's no way you should be able to do this!"

Kin throws senbon at me and I deflect them all out of the way. Kin looks shocked too. "Crystal Style? I thought Guren-sensei was the only one who can do that!"

"Apparently not! Don't ask me why!" Dosu's trying to use the opening to make a counter-attack. I raise the lance to block his strike, but that's when the crystal begins violently vibrating.

What the-

The lance shatters in my hands.

Dosu lands right in front of me! "Gotcha!"

In an instant, everything stops making sense. Up becomes down, right becomes left, and it is combined with the worst headache I've ever had.

By the time the world becomes semi-recognizable, I'm laying on the ground, staring up (or is it down?) at a tree, the world shaking back and forth like there's a never-ending earthquake all around me.

He got me. He really got me.

Oh, this hurts. I'm not even sure if I can hear out of my left ear right now, all I can hear from that is _ringing_.

I see Dosu leaning over me, a kunai in his left, naturally human, hand. "You got some skill, Sasuke Uchiha. I respect that. And once Guren-sensei hears of what you could do, she's going to be mad that we had to kill you. But . . . orders are orders. Time to-"

Chains fly into Dosu and he is sent flying out of my field of vision. The next person I see is Naruto. His face has been cut and he has a couple of senbon sticking out of his back. "Damn it, Sasuke! Get up! You're going to let these guys kill you?"

Naruto, right now, it's like you're wobbling all over my vision even though you must be standing still. I don't even think I can open my mouth without throwing up.

"Why won't you just stop!" That's Zaku!

Naruto cries as he's thrown out of my field of vision and crashes somewhere.

Crap. Come on. Ignore the headache. Ignore your flip-flopping stomach. Ignore it all! You can't let Naruto get killed over this! I roll over onto my stomach and I see Naruto resting against the tree we're keeping Hinata in, and Zaku walking right up to Naruto, ready to blast him.

"Why do you keep fighting? Both of you?" Zaku shouts. "There is no chance in hell of you winning! So why?"

Naruto looks up at Dosu, smiling. "Two reasons. Number one, I'm gonna be Hokage, and I can't be Hokage if I die in these woods. Number two, Sasuke is my teammate and I was taught to take care of my teammates. I won't let you guys kill him!"

Naruto . . .

I can't give up yet. I gotta find some way to get up. Any way!

Zaku points both of his arms right at Naruto. "Then you can die before him!"

A figure leaps from the woods then, above all of us!

"Fire Style! Demon Lantern Technique!"

Shrieking red fireballs erupt from the figure's mouth, aiming for Dosu, Kin, and Zaku all at once. The three Sound ninja scatter and then group back up together on the other side of the clearing, although Zaku looks like he got singed by one of the fireballs.

The figure lands in front of Naruto and draws a pair of kunai and takes up a defensive stance. "Naruto! Sasuke! You two all right?"

That voice! It's-

"Ryuuzetsu!" Naruto cries. "Where'd you come from?"

"From the other side of the forest, unfortunately," Ryuuzetsu replies. "Sorry it took me so long. I came the moment the seal became active, it guided me right to you guys."

"A seal?" Naruto asks dumbly.

Ryuuzetsu pulls up her left arm's sleeve and I see a glowing seal embedded onto her arm. The glow quickly fades away though, as does the seal. As if Ryuuzetsu's used it up.

Naruto grabs my shoulder. "Wait a minute, my shoulder isn't itching anymore!"

"That's because the seal was drawn onto you too," Ryuuzetsu says. "What? You didn't know about it?"

"Not at all," Naruto says, clearly shocked. "Ryuuzetsu, why . . . what is going on?"

"Naruto, I was given an A-ranked mission. If that seal activates I'm to find you and protect you," Ryuuzetsu says. "And now I'm going to accomplish the mission."

"Who the hell is _this_ bitch?" Zaku seems to half-whine, half-growl.

"You don't remember her?" Kin asks, shocked. "She was in the Land of Snow too, just like we were, Zaku!"

"Oh." Zaku's eyes widen. "Oh wait a minute! Now I recognize you! You're that weird Grass ninja with th efreaky fireballs!"

Ryuuzetsu doesn't seem to react. She's focusing completely, waiting for the Sound ninja to make the first move.

"Kin, Zaku, stop complaining and focus! She didn't come alone!" Dosu warns. "Watch your backs! Her teammates have to be around here somewhere waiting to ambush us!"

"Why is killing two stupid boys this _hard_?" Kin shouts as she prepares more senbon.

"Nobody said it was gonna be easy," Dosu says. "Wipe her and her teammates out and then we'll finish Naruto and Sasuke off! Go!"

All three ninja make their move, and Ryuuzetsu prepares to counter-strike.

The battle restarts.


	11. Falling Leaves

Special update for the special occasion I mentioned earlier. Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter Eleven: Falling Leaves**

Zaku makes the first move. He aims his arms directly at Ryuuzetsu and fires a wave of sound directly at her but Ryuuzetsu dodges it and sprints towards me, before curving and charging Dosu instead.

"Ninja Art! Flame Kunai!" The edges of her two Kunai are writhed in flame, and she throws both of them at Dosu, who dodges them by leaping into the air above all of us.

"Fire Style! Firebird Technique!" Ryuuzetsu breathes out a wave of fire that looks vaguely shaped like a bird and it goes right for Dosu in midair, but a wave of sound shoots up from the ground and disrupts the flame, scattering it just enough for Dosu to fall through the flames without being uncontrollably on fire. Dosu rolls on the ground right after landing and the flames cease, but Ryuuzetsu is charging him, intent on cutting Dosu open.

Dosu brings up his mechanical right arm and blocks the attempted stab. "You're better than I thought you were," he growls.

Ryuuzetsu doesn't reply, she instead spins and tries to kick Dosu, who blocks that blow too. Ryuuzetsu unleashes an all-out taijutsu assault, using kicks and kunai strikes to try to find an opening against Dosu, but nothing cracks under the barrage. Dosu's clearly trained well in taijutsu and he can block all of Ryuuzetsu's blows.

She needs help. There's no way she can fight these guys all by herself. Damn this headache. I really _do_ feel like I'm gonna throw up _and_ my head's gonna split open. Gotta refocus though. Block out the pain and read their movements.

Maybe I can use Ryuuzetsu's own move against Kin and Zaku. I just saw it and saw how she did it, maybe I can-

"Fire Style! Firebird Technique!" I shoot out a large bird of burning chakra myself and shoot it right at Zaku and Kin, who leap away in opposite directions.

Naruto's back in the fight as well, though he's unarmed, all he has is his fists as he attacks Zaku and Zaku blocks the blow. "We're not out of this fight yet! Don't count us out!"

Dosu shoves Ryuuzetsu away. "A little help here-"

I see an arrow come right for Dosu's head from the left, and Dosu snatches it in mid-air. "You really think archery is gonna work?"

Then I see the tag on the end of the arrow, and so does Dosu. "A paper bomb?"

An explosion rips through the clearing, and I see Dosu get away, though the left side of his clothing is singed and torn. Dosu lands on a tree branch on a tree facing the clearing, and Kin and Zaku quickly join him up there, clearly intending to regroup and come right back at us.

"We're outnumbered," Kin says grimly.

"No, we're not." Zaku growls. "I'll take care of that."

He suddenly aims where the arrow had shot from and fires a wave of sound. Above the din is a young boy's voice suddenly crying out, and I see Tadashi Obata fall from a tree. The young girl, Sango Saijima, quickly catches him and they land on the ground, but Zaku leaps from the tree and aims at the both of them.

"Eat this! Supersonic Slicing Wave!"

Ryuuzetsu takes off at a dead heat, running right for her teammates, and she grabs them and leaps away to avoid a violent sound wave that looks more like a hurricane-force wind coming right at them. Ryuuzetsu is clipped by the escape and is thrown right back towards Naruto and I in the clearing, and the three Grass ninja crash into the ground, falling all over each other.

"They're off-balance! Go!" Dosu shouts, and he and Kin both rush forward.

Kin shoots senbon at me, and I hear bells ringing as she just barely misses me. Then a sharp pain in my left arm. She had thrown more than one senbon, and that one was completely silent. I yank out the senbon and throw it aside, but it _stings_.

Dosu, for his part, has aimed for Naruto. He gets right up to Naruto's face and gives him a brutal physical blow that sends him flopping through the clearing and crashing into Hinata's tree. I don't think Naruto's going to get back up from that one. It wasn't a killing blow but it's going to knock him out of action.

Great. It's just me, Ryuuzetsu, and her pair of inexperienced kids she's trying to shepherd along.

Ryuuzetsu is staggering to her feet. Clearly Zaku's sound wave, even though it didn't hit her full force, has taken a strong toll. I can only wonder what would happen if you _did_ get hit with it at full strength.

Ryuuzetsu rushes Dosu and blocks him before he can finish a final charge to end Naruto. "My mission is not to let you kill them," she growls. "I will not fail it."

"Why the hell did you even accept such a mission? You're from the Hidden Grass," Dosu growls. "He's from the Hidden Leaf!"

"The Hidden Grass and Hidden Leaf are allies!" Ryuuzetsu shouts. "And I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for him!"

"Ryuuzetsu!" Sango shouts in alarm.

It takes me a moment to realize that Zaku is bearing down on them, ready to blast both of Ryuuzetsu's teammates with his waves of sound.

I take two shuriken and throw them right at Zaku but his left hand goes up and a wall of air or sound repels the shuriken. The shuriken seem to stop in mid-air before falling to the ground.

He just _grins_ at me. As if he's amused I even _tried_ to help those kids.

And then he blasts them both.

Both kids are sent flying through the air, screaming at the top of their lungs, before they crash into the forest.

"Tadashi! Sango!" Ryuuzetsu screams in alarm, but that's when Dosu immediately bears down on her.

And hits her full force in the face.

It's not just a near-miss that will make you dizzy. Ryuuzetsu is feeling the full effect of that blow. After a moment where she seems to pause, she falls forward onto the ground, her face striking the ground first.

Oh crap. Has it really come down to just me now?

Dosu looks at Naruto, who's groaning. He's clearly wondering whether to finish me off first or just kill Naruto and _then_ worry about me.

I can hear the other two ninja moving in behind me. They know I'm all that's left. If I make a move of any kind the other two are just going to bear right down on me.

I'm pretty much out of chakra. My way out of this would be the Jade Crystal Prison but I don't think I have enough to summon that. If I'm lucky, I can get off one final Fireball Technique before that's it, I'm completely drained, and it'll be difficult for me to even stand up. I _need_ what I have left in order to fight them hand to hand.

But how? I'm running out of weapons. I could try to make a break for it and gather the weapons in the traps but that'll just leave Naruto, Hinata, and Ryuuzetsu wide open to be murdered. It'll effectively be abandoning them.

"Looks like the last one's standing is our primary target, Dosu," Zaku says. "What do you want to do? Finish off his buddy first or just take him out?"

"It doesn't really matter," Dosu says. "It's over-"

That's when a Chakra Chain blasts out from behind him and slams right into Dosu, knocking him back into the middle of the clearing.

"Oh come on!" Kin says. "Why won't that orange-clad idiot just stay down?"

"You stop this," Naruto growls. He's bleeding everywhere and he's clearly just as drained as I am, and all he has is that single Chakra Chain. "Sasuke is my _friend_. I won't let you three murder him! And I won't let you touch my other friends either!"

Naruto staggers forward, his hands firmly grasping his lone chain. "Damn it, Ryuuzetsu wouldn't even be here if I didn't convince her to come. And instead of passing the exam she comes all this way to help _me_. You really think I'm just gonna sit here and let you people kill her too? Forget it!"

"Shut up!" Zaku shouts, aiming his hands right at Naruto. "Shut your stupid-"

There's my opening.

I come right at him, drawing my last two kunai as I run. I'm going to attack him low, but then slice upwards, like an uppercut! And then when he falls to the ground I'm going to stab him as many times as it takes until he's dead!

That's when I hear the weird jingling sounds again. I dodge them as I'm coming my way, only to see bursts of pain all over my chest.

Senbon. More senbon, sticking out of my chest.

Yank them out. Yank them out! They're hampering your breathing and your remaining chakra! Who cares about more spilled blood at this point? Yank them out and block out the pain!

Damn it, this hurts!

Kin chuckles. "You fell for it. My Illusion Bell Needles and Shadow Senbon. You're relying on your ears so much you're not relying on sight, and that just made you lose, Sasuke."

Zaku is aiming at both me and Naruto. "You're both going down! Right this instant!"

That's when Kin cries out. Her arms begin to jerk and suddenly she's thrown senbon right at Zaku and Dosu!

Both leap out of the way. "Kin! What are you doing?" Dosu shouts.

"M-My body! It's moving on its own! I can't control it!" Kin shrieks.

Zaku is suddenly aiming right at Dosu as well. There's just a low chuckle that escapes his mouth before he fires at Dosu.

Dosu barely dodges out of the way in time. "Zaku! What's going on with you?"

That's when something that looks like a giant green bowling ball suddenly comes bearing right down on Dosu from behind. I can hear a familiar voice, the voice of Choji. "Have a little bit of this!"

Dosu spins around and immediately blasts the giant bowling ball with his right arm. The ball suddenly goes flying in the other direction and crashes into a tree, splintering it and half and sending the trunk crashing through the forest and onto the ground.

"Choji!" Zaku cries out in alarm. That settles it, that can't be Zaku who's in control!

Has to be the legendary Yamanaka possession technique, the Mind Transfer Technique. Ino Yamanaka has to be in Zaku's body right now!

Ino and her team ambushed the Sound team! It's not working though, Dosu is still standing and as the dust settles, it's clear Choji is down.

"My head won't stop spinning," Choji moans.

"Zaku! What's wrong with you?" Kin screams.

"That's not Zaku who's in control right now," says a knowing tone.

I see Shikamaru emerge from the bushes. "That is my teammate Ino Yamanaka. She's taken control of him. And I have taken control of _you_ with my Shadow Possession Technique. Your mind may not have been taken over, but your body certainly has."

Kin moans as her right hand reaches down and grabs a senbon and she's forced to stick it right under her face.

"Now," Shikamaru shouts. "Surrender, Dosu! Do us a favor and dump your scroll and we'll release your teammates the moment I and Ino here no longer sense your chakra! Otherwise, we'll have Kin and Zaku kill themselves right in front of your face!"

"Oh man," Naruto says, clearly shocked.

Zaku, or, rather, _Ino_-Zaku chuckles. "We mean it, Dosu. There's no way we're letting you harm _my_ Sasuke. If it means taking Kin and Zaku's lives to protect him and idiot Naruto we'll do it!"

Hearing 'my Sasuke' come from Zaku's mouth is so awkward it makes me feel ill.

Dosu cocks his head to the side. "Interesting proposition. I will admit, you three have a measure of talent to take us off guard like this. But just like these Hidden Grass fools, you're going to learn that your efforts are in vain!"

Zaku's left hand is aiming at Dosu, his right hand is aiming at _himself_. "Good luck with that, you bandaged mummy of a ninja! If we have to we'll just kill you instead!"

"If you're going to kill me," Dosu sighs. "Please don't make me listen to your bad insults first."

That's when Dosu charges right for Zaku.

"What-" Before Zaku can fire, Dosu aims a kick right for Zaku's head and Zaku's sent flying into the nearest tree, crashing so hard he leaves an indentation, and he collapses to the ground.

I hear Ino's body cry out and gag in the woods.

"Oh crap," Shikamaru gasps.

"Dosu!" Kin cries. "Don't do that to me! I swear I'm fighting it with everything I have!"

"I'm sorry, Kin," Dosu says. "But there's no choice."

Naruto throws his lone chain at Dosu but Dosu's mechanical right arm deflects it and he charges right for Kin.

He grabs Kin with both of his hands and hurls her into the woods. Then he pivots and looks right at Shikamaru.

The young man just gasps in shock.

Damn it, gotta help him out!

I get in-between Shikamaru and Dosu and I feel Dosu crash into me _hard_. Vibrations shake throughout my body, like my body's having its own internal earthquake, or like I've become a geyser about to erupt. It's _sickening_.

"Sasuke, you idiot!" Naruto shouts. "That's what he wants!"

Oh wait. That's right. I'm the target and I just put myself at Dosu's mercy!

Oh this is gonna-

Naruto's lone remaining chain tries to wrap itself around Dosu but Dosu grabs it and throws Naruto around with it. Naruto crashes right into Zaku's staggering body and they both lay on the ground, groaning.

And I hear Ino's body do the exact same thing for a split second.

"Huh, interesting." Dosu's lone visible eye widens in apparent realization. "It seems whoever possessed my teammate is injured when my teammate is injured. So if I kill Zaku, I would kill her too, wouldn't I?"

Kin groans as she gets back up. "Damn it, what a headache-"

She jumps away as a shadow moves past Dosu and I and comes right for Kin. Kin backflips and cartwheels away until the moving shadow just _stops_, and Kin gasps for breath.

"Damn it, she's out of my range," Shikamaru says.

"There's no way I'm getting hit with that again!" Kin shouts. "You got me once but you're not gonna get me again!"

"Shikamaru!" _Ino_-Zaku shouts. "I can't hold the technique! He's fighting back and is gonna retake control! I'm sorry!"

"Oh, crap," Shikamaru says, his horrified face mirroring how I feel about _that_ news.

Zaku groans all of a sudden, and then he frantically rubs himself. "Damn it! Oh, that was _so_ messed up! I had _girl_ inside me! Ugh!"

He suddenly looks down at Naruto's prone form. And then he smiles maliciously. "Oh, look at what we have here!"

He kicks Naruto. Naruto cries out from clear and obvious pain.

"Naruto!" I shout. Damn it, how can I disengage from Dosu and get over there? Naruto needs my help!

"You have screwed things up beyond belief!" Zaku shouts as he kicks Naruto's body. "I can't stand people like you! You're so _stupid_! Well, how do you like me now, huh?"

He laughs wildly as he continues kicking Naruto. "This is payback for the Land of Snow! You thought it was _so_ funny, I bet, what you did to my ass! I'm gonna enjoy taking you apart limb from limb, orange boy!"

Kunai from the woods but Zaku draws his own kunai and deflects both blades, sending them spiraling into the air. I see Ino staggering into the clearing, clearly injured. Dosu's right, whatever injuries Zaku takes Ino takes as well!

"Sasuke is _mine_," Ino says. "And as long as I'm here, you're not going to take his life! Or idiot Naruto's!"

For the first time in my life, I'm glad Ino's my stalker. It's finally come in handy. Ino's actually in a position to help both Naruto and I! I don't know what else she has left, though, and her teammate, Choji, is still prone in the woods.

Ryuuzetsu's teammates are nowhere to be found, and Ryuuzetsu is still lying face-first on the ground, possibly unconscious. Dosu had done a _serious_ number to her.

And Shikamaru's panting. His shadow seemed to be moving just moments ago, but now it's returned to normal. I think Shikamaru ran out of chakra, just like Naruto and I have.

Ino draws more kunai. "Come on! I know you have the same injuries I have, Zaku! Drop the tough guy act! You're hurting!"

"You have no idea how high my pain tolerance is," Zaku says. "And guess what? I have plenty of chakra left to waste on people like you!"

Ino's eyes widen as Zaku aims right for her.

There's nothing anyone can do as Zaku blasts Ino into the woods.

That's when a force bludgeons my stomach. I'm suddenly looking right at the ground before a blow to the back of my head sends me straight down into the ground.

Damn it. I let down my guard. And now Dosu has-

Naruto lets out a defiant yell. I roll over and see Naruto has risen to his feet and has grabbed both of Zaku's arms.

"You _bastards_ won't kill a single person in these woods! Not as long as my name is Naruto Uzumaki!"

He's crying. He has to be in so much pain. He looks like he's going to turn into one enormous bruise and by how labored his breathing is he has to have a cracked rib or two.

"You've got nothing left," Zaku growls. "You're just signing your own death warrant!"

Naruto chuckles. "I _always_ have something left for the people I care about."

"Huh?" Zaku's eyes widen in surprise.

"I was born all alone," Naruto says. "With absolutely nothing and lived in a village that hated my guts. I was forced to live with a teenage girl who _hated_ my guts too. But you know what happened next? That teenage girl turned into my sister! I learned I still had a living parent! I became a genin! And now I have _three_ best friends here who have given everything they have to protect me!"

Naruto grabs Zaku and slams him into the damaged tree behind Zaku. "I will do the same for them! I will not surrender to people like you! I will fight for the people I care about to my last breath! Believe it!"

Zaku twists his hands until they're aiming right for Naruto's face. Naruto lets out a soft gasp.

"Fine," Zaku snaps. "I'll grant you your wish."

No.

Naruto . . .

He's airborne.

He crashes into the middle of the clearing, flopping around until he lies on the ground limp right next to me.

He groans softly. He's somehow still conscious after all of that.

"Naruto." Damn it, is it really going to end this way?

I hear Shikamaru cry out. Dosu must've gotten his hands on Shikamaru and is simply swatting him away like a bug considering I hear Shikamaru groaning after the blow.

There's no one left. I have nothing left to give. And clearly, neither does Naruto.

"Sasuke," Naruto says softly. Tears are pouring from his eyes. "I'm sorry, man. I . . . I can't even get up anymore."

"I can't get up either," I say. "I think we're done."

Naruto's on his back, I'm on my stomach, we're right next to each other in the middle of the clearing. My body's aching so much and I can just tell by every attempt to move that there's nothing left. Adrenaline can't carry me anymore. No matter how badly I force my body to move, I just _can't_.

I hear Dosu's footsteps, and Zaku's, and Kin's. They're all walking towards the two of us.

"I can't believe it took this much work," Kin says.

"I don't even want to savor killing them," Zaku says. "Let's just kill them now before something _else_ goes wrong."

"Agreed," Dosu says.

Their footsteps again. Approaching. They're clearly exhausted too, considering they're not running. They had to use up everything they had too in order to defeat us.

Problem is, they have a little more. Naruto and I have nothing. We've been beaten to a pulp and are out of chakra and can't even move.

"I don't want to die like this," Naruto says. "What can we do, Sasuke?"

"I don't know," I say.

A fourth set of footsteps, also staggering.

"Give me a break," Dosu growls.

The husky voice is undoubtedly Ryuuzetsu's. She's managed to either wake up for find just enough strength to stand. "Back off. Way off. I have enough chakra left for one final Demon Lantern Technique. I'll use it."

"You'll burn yourself up along with us at this close range," Zaku says.

"I made a promise I would protect them," Ryuuzetsu says. "They are my friends. They gave me a reason to live beyond just revenge. You're not taking their lives."

I hear her hands moving.

"All . . . all I wanted was to avenge my closest friend, his name was Muku," Ryuuzetsu says. "But Naruto Uzumaki taught me there was more to life than just simple revenge. That instead of trying to do it all on my own, that I should have friends and build relationships, find people I care about and who care about me! Connections are what make people stronger and what allow you to accomplish what you want to!"

I can sense her chakra coming to a boil. She's preparing to unleash her attack. "Don't make me do it. I will give my life for Naruto and Sasuke. I know that they will avenge Muku in my place if I die for them . . . because they are my friends."

"Dosu," Kin says. "What do we do?"

"I don't know," Dosu says. "I don't know."

"Ryuuzetsu," Naruto says softly. He's trying to get up, he's trying so hard. He wants to help her.

Damn it, I want to help her too! She shouldn't have to die for us! Not in these woods!

What are we going to do? I can't do anything to stop this!

Naruto just manages to sit up. Somehow he's found something that I haven't found yet. He's gasping for breath, and he reaches into his holster and pulls out one last kunai.

"I'm not letting you die, Ryuuzetsu," Naruto says. "Because you're my friend too."

How can he do that? Find the strength to try to stand up? What does he have that I don't?

"He just does not stay down," Zaku says, his voice actually _awed_.

"I know," Dosu says.

"I . . . I am not giving up, and I am not backing down," Naruto growls as he staggers to his feet, his knees wobbling like he's going to fall back down. "You can beat me to a pulp all over again. I'm gonna keep getting back up. I am not giving up on my friends! I will protect them as long as I can still breathe!"

"_Naruto . . ._"

That voice! It can't be!

Come on, you stupid body! At least roll over so you can see! There's no way!

At least get to your hands and knees! At least manage that! Come on! Come on!

There. At least I can get that far. I want to throw up and everything's shaking but I can get that far.

"No way," Naruto says softly.

"Who the hell?" Zaku asks.

"Dosu! Can you see that all over her?" Kin shouts.

"I do," Dosu says, his voice grim.

What the hell are they talking about? I don't-

Holy. Crap.

Hinata is slowly walking out from under the tree. A side of her face and her left hand are covered in odd markings that look like dark flames, and there's an underlying _sizzling_ sound that nearly overpowers the sound of her footsteps. There's some smoke wafting around her too, white smoke that fades almost as it comes into existence, seeming to be erupting from her neck.

"Naruto, who hurt you?" Hinata asks. Her voice is soft. Soft and yet so clear and _harsh_. The harshest I have ever heard from Hinata's voice.

"H-Hinata?" Naruto asks, clearly shocked.

"What the hell is all over you? What happened?" Ryuuzetsu asks. "It's like a disease or something!"

"No," Hinata says. "It's no disease. For the first time in my life . . . I feel _strong_."

Her Byakugan has clearly activated, and she slowly enters a fighting stance. But it's not the Gentle Fist stance. It looks more aggressive, _far_ more aggressive, than the only Gentle Fist stance I've seen!

"Naruto . . ." Hinata seems to hiss. "Don't worry. I'm here now. You asked me to become strong enough to survive and I did it. I did it, Naruto. I'm not going to fail you anymore. I promise."

There's a fierceness to her movements, an eerie quality to her voice, that is not Hinata. It's just not. None of this was ever in this girl before.

Is this the influence of the curse? Is this what would've happened if Anko-sensei has unleashed the curse mark on her neck in the Land of Snow? What I'm seeing now?

"Hinata . . . you sure you're all right?" Naruto asks.

"I am," Hinata replies. She forms her fighting stance, ready to strike. "I'm strong, Naruto. I feel so _strong_. I'm finally strong enough to protect you, just like you have protected me."

Her Byakugan-enhanced eyes immediately turn towards the three Sound genin.

"It was you three, wasn't it?" Hinata asks. "It was you three who hurt Naruto."

"So what if it was?" Zaku asks.

Her eyes focus right on Zaku. Her voice turns venomous in its cruelty. "Then you can _die_."

That's when she strikes.

* * *

What's this? Hinata is beginning to evolve-*shot*

Well . . . this certainly changes things, don't it?


	12. Need to be Strong

Thank you for your responses so far.

This will be the last chapter of Sasuke being the main POV. While Sasuke still has a couple of POVs, Kushina will be taking back main POV duties after this chapter.

Also, don't make Hinata angry. You wouldn't like her when she's angry-*shot*

* * *

**Chapter Twelve: Need to be Strong**

Hinata's _fast_. Faster than I've ever seen her. She is like a blur for a split second before seeming to materialize right in front of Zaku Abumi.

Her right fist is positioned to come down right on top of Zaku's head. Zaku gasps in both surprise and horror before he, Dosu, and Kin all leap away, _far_ away, to the very edge of the clearing, and Hinata strike the ground _viciously_.

Dirt and rock spew from the impact, making the ground shake. Naruto's wobbling knees give out and he falls onto his hands and knees, staring at Hinata in shock.

A soft chuckle emanates from Hinata. "Earth ninjutsu. I didn't even know I could do that."

She turns towards Naruto then, and Naruto's eyes widen as he looks at her. I can't see the expression on Hinata's face from my perspective but whatever look Hinata is giving Naruto right now must be absolutely _terrifying_ to him.

I don't know what to do. Hinata's my friend but she's clearly _changed_! This is not the Hinata I know at all! At the same time, I don't know if I can stop her! I don't have any strength and there's so much killing intent wafting around her like an aura! Who's to say if Hinata won't attack me the way she is right now?

Hinata walks towards Naruto, who is visibly trembling. He looks like he wants to get away from her but he's too scared to move!

"H-Hinata?" he softly asks, his voice drained of all its usual strength and determination.

"It's okay, Naruto," Hinata replies. Her voice is soft, but there's something _wrong_, something that almost seems _distorted_, draining her voice of its usual gentle kindness.

Her hands, her left absolutely _covered_ in those dark, flame-like marks, slowly reach down and gently cup Naruto's face, carefully lifting Naruto's face up just as she looks down on him.

Her right hand, the unmarked one, softly brushes the top of Naruto's head. "I'll protect you. There's nothing to be afraid of. I'm here, Naruto. I'll always be here for you."

Naruto is shaking so much he looks like he's going to crumble into pieces as Hinata's head slowly bends down and that right hand returns to cupping his face.

Is she? Is she really-

She slowly kisses Naruto on the top of his head, right above Naruto's forehead protector.

She separates after a moment and slowly lets Naruto go. Naruto collapses onto his hands and knees, his eyes so wide it's like he's seen, I don't know, the devil or something! There's tears flowing from his eyes, too! He's so scared he's _crying_!

What the heck happened in that moment to terrify him so much?

Hinata walks past Naruto then, positioning herself in-between Naruto and the three Sound genin.

"Dosu," Zaku says, "What're we gonna do?"

"I don't know," Dosu replies.

"She's been _marked_," Kin says. "Marked by Orochimaru! Why would Orochimaru do that, mark Sasuke's teammate?"

"We've seen this girl personally before," Dosu says. "None of us, even Guren-sensei, thought that this girl would survive the Cursed Seal of Heaven if it was given to her. Orochimaru probably did it as a tactic to weaken and distract Sasuke!"

Wait a minute! These three know Orochimaru? How is that possible? Do they work for him? With him? Just know of him?

Hinata chuckles again, so softly. "I didn't think I would survive either. I wasn't strong enough. But I found it, thanks to Naruto."

Then her stance tightens. Her body is overflowing with power, I can sense it. Power and murderous intent!

This isn't normal Hinata! Not at all!

"I will not fail Naruto or drag him down anymore," Hinata says. "I'm finally his equal. I will make sure he achieves his dreams. And I will eliminate_ anything_ that will stop him."

There's something about the way she said the word 'eliminate' that is frightening in its implications.

Kin looks terrified. "Dosu, you sense all of that power, don't you?"

"Sense it? I can _see_ it," Dosu says. "The marks have fully covered her face now. It's only a matter of time before they cover the rest of her body at the rate she's going."

Hinata suddenly pivots her feet.

Kin's eyes widen. "Damn it! You guys go, I'll keep her busy!"

Kin throws senbon at Hinata, trying her bell trick considering I'm hearing ringing from up ahead. Hinata doesn't seem distracted or deterred by it at all! She's bearing right down on Kin in almost an instant!

"Oh crap," Kin manages, and she tries to run away, but Hinata grabs Kin by her hair and yanks Kin towards her until Kin is facing Hinata.

"Please," Kin begs, tears coming from her eyes. "Please."

I can't see Hinata's face right now but I doubt there's any mercy on her face.

She takes her Gentle Fists and _pounds_ Kin with them. It's clear she's doing one of those Eight Trigrams techniques but it's more brutal now. Fierce and violent. Less controlled.

Kin is finally kicked out of the clearing and into a nearby tree, where she cries out, blood clearly spewing from her mouth, and she does not get up. I don't know if she survived that.

"_Sasuke_!" Ryuuzetsu barks.

Oh crap. While I was watching that, Dosu and Zaku are coming right for me!

Ryuuzetsu throws both kunai and shuriken at them and they leap above it. I gotta find the strength to at least roll out of the way or something, Zaku looks like he's gonna blast-

Suddenly, Dosu is _kicked_ in mid-air by Hinata and Dosu slams into Zaku.

Dosu goes flying to the west edge of the clearing where Ino and Shikamaru had emerged from and slides across the ground, stopping in front of some bushes. Zaku just falls straight down to the ground in an uncontrolled fall but he uses his sound waves to blast the ground, making it as soft as sand before he hits it, probably saving his life.

Zaku scrambles to his feet, but Hinata immediately steps in front of him. Zaku gasps in surprise.

"There's something _wrong_ with your body," Hinata says. "Your chakra flows in an unnatural way. It seems to do with the mechanical modifications to your arms."

"What's it to you?" Zaku asks.

Hinata's voice is suddenly _cold_. "How about I correct it for you?"

Zaku gasps again. He backs away. "Stay away from me, you little freak!"

He raises his arms to blast her but Hinata has already taken off and backflips behind Zaku and chops him in the neck. Zaku crumples to the ground.

And then I see Hinata's face.

And now I know why Naruto was so scared.

The marks _have_ covered her whole face. Her Byakugan is active, and her veins are bulging around them. They're always visible when her Byakugan is active but they're more numerous and the visibility is more widespread. And the expression on her face is like some kind of cold rage. She's furious but is not showing it. It is like she is barely caging whatever it is that's fueling her.

"How should I correct it?" Hinata asks. "Should I break your arms? Or should I just disrupt the chakra flow and shatter them completely?"

Zaku rolls until he faces Hinata from the ground. "How about _neither_?"

Zaku tries to blast her but Hinata has already moved behind him. "I see," she says.

Zaku gasps and tries to sit up but Hinata chops him in the head the moment he does so and he cries out, crumpling to the ground.

Dosu, for his part, is getting up, and his lone visible eye is also frightened. And he's the last Sound genin standing, with Kin and Zaku both clearly unconscious, if Kin isn't dead from that pounding she took anyway.

"You're all that's left," Hinata says. "Then it's over."

That power I'm sensing from her is just not fading! It keeps _growing_! Instead of tiring out from the battle she just seems to build more energy and get even stronger! What's happening to her?

She faces Dosu and adapts her Gentle Fist stance. "Your chakra flow is also unnatural, but it seems to be all over your body. If I were to correct your chakra, you would die."

Dosu still has some defiance in him underneath all of that fear. "So you're gonna kill me? Is that it?"

"I'll make it quick." Hinata's stance tightens back up, like she's ready to charge forward. "I'm not feeling merciful enough to make it painless."

"_Hinata_!" Naruto comes charging into the picture and grabs Hinata from behind. "Hinata, that's enough! You won! Stop it!"

"Naruto?" Hinata's voice is that soft hiss again. A hiss almost like . . .

I don't want to think about it.

"Hinata, this isn't _you_! You're not acting like the Hinata I know! You're acting like _someone else_!"

Hinata gasps, and I see her fighting stance relax and her arms fall limp at her sides.

"What you're doing right now, this isn't _strength_ or _power_ or whatever it is you've been rambling about! This is nothing but cold-blooded murder you're trying to do!" Naruto's voice breaks, and he sniffs loudly. "The Hinata I know would never even _think_ about doing what you're doing right now! Now stop! Before you're not Hinata anymore! Just stop!"

"Naruto." For the first time since this started, Hinata's soft voice has a wisp of that kindness, that gentle touch to it that I've heard for the last six months of my life.

The marks glow and recede, vanishing from her hand and her face, retreating to the mark on her neck from the looks of it.

Hinata's body begins to shake. "N-Naruto?"

"Hinata?" Naruto asks.

Hinata's voice trembles, and her hands rise up. She seems to stare at them. "Naruto, what was I doing? I . . . I . . ."

She suddenly spins around and sobs loudly in Naruto's shoulder. She clings to him desperately, like she's holding on for the sake of her own life.

Dosu, for his part, has already collected Kin's _thankfully_ groaning body, and he marches forward in front of us and grabs Zaku's unconscious body as well.

It looks like he's done fighting too.

"That's it," he finally says. "You won. There's no way our mission can succeed now, not in the state we're in. You're safe from us for the remainder of the second stage. It's going to take the entire stage for Zaku and Kin just to recover enough to finish."

He turns to walk away, and then he pauses, and he turns his head so his lone visible eye is looking right at us. "But just wait until the third round. We will accomplish our mission then. I'll get us qualified by myself if I have to. So you _will_ see us again, and that is a promise."

He looks away again. "Until then, you have my respect for surviving this. All of you do. Farewell."

He leaps away into the woods, leaving the devastated clearing behind. It's only now that the battle's over that I can see there's nothing left of the grass that used to exist here. It's all just mangled dirt. The entire place has just been _leveled_.

Ryuuzetsu appears and offers her hand to me. "Can you get up?"

"I'll try," I say, barely able to keep my stomach from heaving the moment I open my mouth. I reach out my hand and she takes it and pulls me up. I almost fall forward, right onto the ground all over again, but I catch myself after having to skip a couple of times. My head's hurting worse than ever after standing up, but that's what I need to do right now. Stand up and clear my head.

"Hinata, it's okay," Naruto says above Hinata's wails and sobs. "It's okay."

"It's not okay!" Hinata screams. "It's not okay! I'm a _monster_, Naruto! I've been turned into a _monster_!"

"You're not a monster," Naruto says, holding her tighter. "You're not."

Hinata doesn't reply. She just continues to cry.

Naruto looks over at me, as if he's asking for help from me.

I don't know if I can talk without throwing up. I just nod at him and begin walking over to him.

Naruto's not exactly right. What Hinata had done there _was_ powerful. It was nothing _but_ raw power.

But what Hinata was doing is called an _abuse_ of power. She was demonstrating strength, all right, but it's not the kind of strength that a normal person would use. Hinata's actually closer to being right. It's the type of strength a _monster_ would use. Like Orochimaru, the person who did this to Hinata.

Now it makes sense. The hiss that had entered her voice, the cruelty of her attacks, the predatory nature of her actions and words. It was all reminiscent of . . .

Of . . .

I don't want to think about it anymore.

As I'm right next to them, Hinata looks up from Naruto's shoulder. "S-Sasuke."

"Hi, Hinata." I force myself to smile. "We made it."

"Y-Yes." Hinata can't meet my gaze, she looks away.

Then it hits me. Just as it might have hit her.

That was the first time since she woke up that she said my name or even _acknowledged_ my existence.

That entire time during that battle, it was all about _Naruto_. Nothing else had mattered to her. Everyone else was only acknowledged because they had spoken to her or were her opponents.

Something's wrong, clearly wrong. And I don't know what it is.

But it's scaring me half to death right now.

And I just don't know what to do.

* * *

"What a drag," Shikamaru groans. "That entire battle was just a disaster."

"No kidding," Choji says. "That strike destroyed all of the snacks I had on me! What am I gonna do for food?"

"_Food's_ all you're worrying about right now, Choji?" Ino asks.

"Yes! I'm a growing boy! I gotta eat!" Choji says.

Shikamaru sighs. "So, what's the plan now? We all got beaten up really bad, no thanks to Ino here wanting to save _your_ life, Sasuke."

"Hey! No one's gonna be taking my Sasuke away from me!" Ino says. She tries to put on a flirty look. "Come on. Do I get _something_ for trying to help you guys out?"

I sigh. "What scroll do you guys need?"

"A scroll?" Ino asks, shocked.

"My team's already collected our scrolls but we do have a spare Heaven Scroll. We can give it to you guys if you need it."

Ino blushes. "Y-Yeah, we do need the Heaven Scroll! Thanks, Sasuke!"

Oh no. "Don't hug me, please."

"Aww."

"Back in the game!" Choji says, almost triumphantly.

"What do you mean by that?" I ask.

Shikamaru sighs. "This group of Rain genin ambushed us, they are all wearing _masks_ or something, and one of them split up into a zillion water clones. It was clear we didn't stand a chance so we gave up our scroll to them. We're currently scroll-less."

Ino chuckles, clearly embarrassed. "H-Hey, Shikamaru, did you _really_ have to tell him that?"

"Why not?" Shikamaru says. "It's clear our team is lame. We're lucky we're not dead right now."

"Hey! All we gotta do is find a team weaker than us!" Ino says. "And now we've got ourselves a Heaven Scroll so all we gotta do is find ourselves an Earth Scroll now! And we've got like four days to do it!"

Four days?

Oh crap.

All of what just happened took less than a _day_ to happen.

Everything, all of it, happened in such a short amount of time.

If this is all that happened in one day, what's four more days out here gonna do to us?

That settles it. The moment we can we _have_ to try to make it to the tower and qualify! Before we _do_ get killed!

"Ino's right, Shikamaru," Choji says. "Let's get ourselves a scroll so we can qualify and then I can eat some more! Let's go before I go crazy from hunger!"

"Ugh. Four more days of this. This is gonna be a drag," Shikamaru moans.

Ryuuzetsu is with Naruto close by. Her teammates had been both knocked unconscious from being hit by Zaku, but Sango had woken up first and she was a medic so she had been running around trying to treat everyone's injuries. That's helpful because neither my team or Ino's team have a medic on them.

Maybe it's time one of us took some medical training. That way we wouldn't have to rely on someone else's help.

Ryuuzetsu and Naruto are sharing some words right now. It's been a couple of hours since the battle, and this is the first opportunity Naruto's had to talk to the girl who had been assigned to keep him safe. Naruto looks worried, and Ryuuzetsu seems to be trying to reassure him.

I look back at the Team 10 dingbats behind me. I have no clue if they can pull off seizing an Earth Scroll. The way they attacked those Sound genin shows that they have the potential to work well, but their various hang-ups are keeping them from being a complete team. But there's actually potential there, under their dingbat-ness.

"I'll go and get you guys the spare Heaven Scroll," I say. "I'll be right back."

"Okay! Thank you Sasuke!" Ino says. "You're such a sweetie of sweetness!"

Ergh. You're wearing your welcome out fast, stalker.

"So Mom put a seal on me and you so you'd find me if I was in serious trouble," Naruto says as I begin walking past him. "Why'd she do that? And why didn't she tell me?"

"Probably because of what just happened," Ryuuzetsu says. "Plus there's that 'Orochimaru' character you told me about. It isn't because you suck or anything, it's because you're being targeted, Naruto. And she didn't want you to know you were in danger so you wouldn't be freaking out."

"I guess," Naruto says softly.

Ryuuzetsu smiles. "You did really well out there. You were still standing and I got the crap kicked out of me and I was supposed to be your rescuer. You've got a lot of strength and guts, Naruto. More than I thought you had."

"Thanks," Naruto says, managing a small smile.

Ryuuzetsu gives him a quick hug and then just places her hands on his shoulders. "If it means anything, I've already gotten the pair of scrolls my team needed. We can qualify with you when your team's ready to go."

"Ryuuzetsu, you don't have to-" Naruto says but he's quickly hushed.

"Naruto, after all that just happened, who's to say there isn't someone else who's going to come after you? Even if you don't want to think of this as a favor from a friend, at least respect my mission," Ryuuzetsu says.

"Well, in that case," Naruto says. "I'd rather consider it a favor from a friend."

"Thank you," Ryuuzetsu replies, smiling. She gives Naruto's face a quick flick and chuckles, and Naruto blushes and returns the chuckle.

Oh come on!

Really? _Really_?

It's not even that it's kind of inappropriate to be doing awkward flirting stuff right now! How the heck did Naruto pull _this_ one off? Ryuuzetsu's like two years older than him! His voice hasn't even changed yet! This whole thing doesn't happen!

And me? The girl who's interested in me in the most is-

"You-hoo! Sasuke! Come on! I want to see your face one more time before we go!"

My everlasting stalker, Ino Yamanaka.

My life _sucks_.

And I thought Naruto was interested in Hinata, anyway. I hope she hasn't been watching this whole exchange. This is gonna hurt her feelings.

I don't know if Naruto is even wondering about that. He's kind of oblivious that way, and he's not being purposefully hurtful either. Plus, Hinata's transformation there may have frightened Naruto away from Hinata, at least for the moment. I know Naruto still doesn't handle killing intent all that well and Hinata's killing intent was basically palpable in that battle. She _really_ scared him, and maybe he just wants to keep some distance for a little bit and confide in someone else.

Why should I even care right now? It's not my business.

Except . . .

It kind of _is_. Hinata and Naruto are my teammates, after all.

It doesn't look like Ryuuzetsu and Naruto are going to be going any further, though, so maybe I'm just overthinking things. Or Ryuuzetsu was just flicking dirt off of Naruto's face and Naruto was embarrassed over the whole thing or _he's_ the one overthinking Ryuuzetsu's intentions. That's a possibility too.

You know what, I'm gonna pretend I didn't see _any_ of that.

As I walk over into the tree to grab the spare Heaven Scroll, I see Hinata sitting there, her hands around her knees.

"You okay?" I ask.

"I'm fine," Hinata says. She finally sounds like her old self, up to a point. She sounds like she's more _wounded_ than before, more distant, though. I'm not sure if that's ever going to go away.

"You shouldn't be sitting here in the dark," I say. "You should come outside. It's morning now. I know none of us got a lot of sleep but there's some sun in the clearing. It'll make you feel better."

"I don't want to go outside. Not until the others leave," Hinata says.

"Why not?" I ask.

"Because they saw what happened to me," Hinata says. "I . . . I know Naruto said I'm not, but . . . Sasuke, I really have become a monster."

"Hinata-"

"Sasuke, don't argue with me! I'm a monster. This seal has turned me into one. Or maybe I always was one and the seal makes it clear who I really am. I don't know," Hinata says.

"Hinata, if Anko-sensei is not a monster, you're not a monster either," I say.

Hinata looks away. "Please leave me alone, Sasuke."

"Hinata, look-"

"Sasuke, leave me alone! I don't want to talk to anybody!"

She's going to start crying again. I can tell in her voice.

"I . . . I promised Naruto I'd live . . . but this isn't how . . . this isn't how I _want_ to live. I don't want to be a monster. I don't want to be a monster."

Hinata buries her head into her knees. "I don't want to be a monster."

I have no idea what to say. Or even what to think.

The only thing I can come up with is something to _do_.

I slowly reach around her shoulders and hug her the best I can. "You're going to be okay, Hinata."

"I'm not," Hinata sobs. "I'm not."

"Yes, you are. We're gonna get you to the tower and they're going to help you. You've done the hard part, you survived. Now we just need to get you there. This will be easier," I say.

"Sasuke, please."

"Hinata, everything will be okay. You don't need to cry."

"You just don't get it!" Hinata squirms away and look right at me.

Her left hand reaches up and touches the seal on her neck, as if it's hurting her right this second. "There's nothing okay about this! And nothing will be okay ever again!"

She looks away from me. "The only people or _anything_ that is okay are you and Naruto. You both can keep going. I'm just going to be a monster. That's . . . that's all I'm ever going to be."

She leans up against the tree bark and won't make eye contact with me. It's clear nothing I say or do is going to help her right now.

But who can help her then, if not me? If not Naruto either?

Anko-sensei? Ms. Uzumaki? The Hokage himself?

Someone's gotta help her. If she doesn't get help, she really _will_ become a monster. Right now, she's still Hinata. Mostly.

But that seal can change people. Anko-sensei's stories about how she initially reacted to the seal make that pretty clear. And even now, Anko-sensei isn't the person she originally was before getting the seal. She had to turn herself into someone else entirely to take back control.

I don't want Hinata to have to go through all of that. Naruto definitely doesn't want that either. He begged Hinata to stay the way she was.

But how can we do that? How can Hinata manage that, either?

There's just no answer. I just hope Hinata stays strong and doesn't give into that seal again.

Because if she does give in again, this could fast become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

And Hinata's destiny, in the end, could be evil.

No. No, I won't allow it. I don't think anyone will. There's too many people who care about her to allow that to happen.

The key here is Hinata herself. Whether she wants to be saved or not. That's what going to decide everything.

And then it will be clear where Hinata's true destiny will lie.

* * *

I had planned for Hinata to be hit with the Cursed Seal since chapter 15 of The Redeemer. Originally, she was going to die. Around the mid-30s of The Redeemer I realized it would be wasting a lot of potential if Hinata died, so I changed her fate. So I constructed a whole subplot about Hinata with the Cursed Seal and have begun enacting it, and even used chapter 59 of The Redeemer to do foreshadowing of this event.

Anyway, I hope this chapter is acceptable to you readers. I'm aware of the flaws in the plot but the canon had those flaws to and I wish to stay true to the canon because I honestly love the canon. I write Naruto fanfiction because I love the Naruto series. I'm not going to change things or characters' personalities or thought processes just to change them, if I'm going to change an established character's personality (Sasuke, Anko) it's going to be for a good reason, or, preferably, several good reasons.

Anyway, until next time.


	13. Waiting Game

**Chapter Thirteen: Waiting Game**

_Kushina Uzumaki_

"What is taking them so long?" Mikoto looks like she's slept as much as I have the last few days, which is _none at all_. "It's almost the end of the third day. I thought they were going to head right for the tower. There's no way they shouldn't have made it here by now."

Mikoto, you're not making me feel any better right now. But I have to keep hoping. I can't let myself fall into despair. I'm not letting that happen to me ever again.

"It may not be safe for them to make a move yet. The videos have shown that the easiest way to get to the tower is the river, but everybody else has figured that out. The river becomes a bloodbath every day and they may be trying to stay out of it," I say.

Mikoto looks at me for a second, her dark eyes full of hurt and skepticism. Almost like she's taking me for a fool. "Kushina, I know this is what you're telling yourself so you don't panic. But the odds are-"

"Mikoto, don't tell me the odds. They're going to be okay."

Truth is, I'm ready to march out into that forest. Disqualification means nothing to me at this point. Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata need to be safe. They can take the exam again next year.

But at the same time, if Hinata was dead, wouldn't Naruto and Sasuke just march up here? They'd be officially eliminated with Hinata's death so they would probably come right to the tower.

That's why I'm honestly wondering if Hinata's still alive and they're not safe enough to try to move. There's still several teams still operating inside the forest, and there's quite a few teams knocked out, too, and more have been killed besides that Hidden Rain team annihilated by Gaara. In fact, the Hidden Rain's teams have been _slaughtered_ this year as far as I can tell. Nearly every team the Hidden Rain had entered had qualified for the second stage, but at least three of the Hidden Rain's teams have been confirmed dead.

There has been no confirmation about Konoha Team 7 being eliminated. As far as anyone can tell, they're not dead. They're off the grid, but that doesn't mean they're dead. They could just be hiding really well. I _hope_ that's all that's going on.

The rooms they have the jonin-sensei in are becoming vastly different. There's been some sensei who've been informed that their teams have been killed in action, and they're absolutely devastated, if the revelation has sunk in yet. Others, like Kurenai Yuhi and Might Guy, are relieved as their teams qualified.

And others, like Anko, stay in limbo with a decreasing amount of jonin-sensei, wondering one way or another whether their students are okay.

"Mikoto," I say. "Who's qualified? How many teams?"

"Huh? Oh, right," Mikoto says, shaking her head. This is good. I need her to re-focus and concentrate on the exam. She's the proctor. This is her job.

"The only team from the Hidden Sand that's qualified are the Kazekage's children. The Hidden Waterfall's only team so far is Fuu's squad. We also have a team from the Hidden Rain that made it."

Mikoto's voice grows more dour. "From Konoha there's Teams 5 and 8, Might Guy's squad and Kurenai Yuhi's squad. That's it. No one from the Hidden Grass has made it, and the Hidden Sound's sole team hasn't qualified yet either."

She sighs. "One more team and preliminaries will have to be held before the third round. I don't see the next two days going by without another team qualifying."

"I see. Thank you." This helps keep my mind off of Naruto too. I know he's out there, but I know he's gotta try and make it. He has to.

Mikoto sighs. "The only team from this list that qualified today is the Hidden Rain team. Might Guy's squad was the only team that qualified yesterday. Here I thought there would be this frantic rush of candidates that made it but there's obviously been a lot of attrition. More attrition than I expected. The Sound team's especially surprised me. You and I both know those are Orochimaru's pupils. I thought they would've finished by now."

Her eyes narrow. "You think they could've tried to finish Naruto and Sasuke off?"

Damn it, Mikoto! Don't put those thoughts into my head! "If they did, the fact they haven't qualified yet would mean Naruto and Sasuke beat them up really bad, if not killed them outright. Remember Team 7 beat the Sound team in the Land of Snow. I saw it happen _personally_."

"I'll take your word for it." Mikoto takes a deep breath and exhales, and rubs her forehead. "I just can't stand it anymore. Not knowing."

"There's a lot of parents out there in the exact same position we are," I reply. "We're not alone in this."

Mikoto just shakes her head. I know nothing I'm saying is getting through to her. I don't know what to do to make her feel better. I just don't.

"I'm going to check on Karin," I finally say. "We transferred her to a private room here in the tower yesterday for her own safety. I'm going to see how she's holding up."

"Yeah. Go do that," Mikoto says, and she resumes staring off into space, lost in her own thoughts.

It was the Hokage's idea to make her the proctor for the second exam. Whatever Mikoto had said to the Hokage had won her his trust, and Mikoto, being one of the leaders in getting all of this inside information, was a natural choice to be the second proctor. The thinking was that if Orochimaru pulled something on the students, she'd be able to stop Orochimaru in his tracks. Instead, Orochimaru had shown how strong he truly was, and had both Mikoto and I at his mercy . . . and Kakashi and Tenzo hadn't improved anything for us either.

I don't blame Mikoto for being lost. I would feel lost myself if I didn't keep giving myself things to do. I still can't sleep. I know I won't sleep until Naruto walks inside this tower.

All right. Focus. Focus on Karin. Hopefully she's doing okay and isn't crawling the walls. This is a new environment for her, she shouldn't be _too_ bored, right?

Right?

* * *

Wrong.

"I can't stand it anymore!" Karin shouts, pulling at her hair. "This place is even more boring than the last place! I can't even watch any of the second exam in this stupid room! I demand my daily supply of blood and carnage, Kushina!"

I have _no_ idea of how much of that I should take seriously. "Look, Karin, this is a temporary measure, okay? We decided this would be the best place to keep an eye on you and keep you safe. You're still a V.I.P."

"Yeah, which Kabuto kinda ruined," Karin pouts. "He's gonna make everything I knew outdated. I'm not going to be so important anymore. Then the rest of you aren't gonna care."

"Karin, _I_ care. What've you done is still a heroic thing. We're not going to leave you in the lurch. The whole reason you're here is so you stay safe so Orochimaru or any of his people can't silence you. You're safe here."

Actually, that's not fully true. Guren, the sensei for the Sound team and, by default, an Orochimaru agent, is right in this tower too. However, Guren's movements are limited. She can't leave the waiting room for any reason, she sleep theres, eats there, etc., there, along with the other sensei who have not had their genin either qualify or knocked out. As long as she's stuck in that room, she isn't going to threaten Karin.

The dangerous part will be when it's time to move Guren. If she knows Karin is here, she _could_ make an attempt on Karin's life during the transition. But until that point, Karin should still stay safe.

Karin looks skeptical. "You people have underestimated Orochimaru. From what I've been hearing, he was able to set foot and threaten all of the genin taking the second stage. What makes you think he won't find me here?"

"Because this is the last place where he would expect to find you," I say. "Right where we're conducting the second exam. He'd expect to find you in a more . . . _secretive_ location than this."

Karin still isn't convinced. "Well, whatever. Guess I can't do anything about it at this point."

She does have a small window to the outside but it doesn't let her survey the grounds surrounding the tower. She's so high up she has no chance of seeing what's going on below if anything. Karin gazes out this window, the evening sun illuminating her face almost in a golden light and making her red hair shine. Looking at her now, I feel like a fool for not seeing the clan resemblance. It's so obvious now that Karin was an Uzumaki and I never figured that out on my own.

"How's Sasuke doing?" Karin finally asks.

"Still hasn't qualified," I reply. "He and Team 7 also haven't been found incapacitated. As far as I know, Team 7 is still in this."

"I guess that's better than nothing. Or them being dead," Karin says softly. She fiddles with her glances then and looks away from the window, right at me.

"When this is all over, I want to take one of these exams," Karin says. "You said I'm trainable, right?"

"Yes," I say. "You'll likely become a stellar medic once we figure out a way for you to properly channel your healing chakra. That way you don't need to be bitten anymore."

"I'll have a sensei and teammates and everything, huh?"

"That's what I hope for you, Karin."

Karin bites her lip. "Would _you_ be willing to be my sensei, Kushina?"

She did _not_ just go there. "Um, Karin, it's _really_ early to be deciding that. I haven't even submitted an application to be a jonin-sensei and I highly doubt they'll let me. I'm a jinchuuriki."

"Oh, right." Karin shakes her head and chuckles. "Right, the fox demon inside you. Yeah, that could cause some issues if it comes blastin' out of you in front of your genin. Forget I asked."

I don't want to disappoint her. I guess I should at least put my name into consideration so I can honestly say I tried. "I'll tell the Hokage to consider me for jonin-sensei. But the sensei are usually assigned their students, the students don't get to pick their sensei."

"I get it," Karin sighs. "It's okay. Like I said, forget I asked. I'm just trying to figure out what I'm gonna do. Not much else I can do up here."

"Well, if it means anything, it's likely there's going to be preliminaries for the third test," I say. "One more team qualifies, that'll guarantee it. There's some balcony seats behind tinted windows. I'll see if I can get you one of those so you can watch the preliminaries."

"Thanks," Karin says. She smiles. "So I can get my supply of carnage after all."

I'm going to assume she's joking. "Yeah, exactly."

"Awesome."

Karin's a character all right, but there's a good person inside of her. There really is. She's just had no opportunity to let that person out or learn what it takes to be that person.

I need to keep giving her attention. That's what she needs most of all. She can't think that she's decreased in importance, especially not to me. I'm part of her clan. As far as I know, I'm the _leader_ of the Uzumaki clan now that it's just not me and Naruto.

Damn, does that mean I need to make clan applications and give them to the Hokage? Now that it's not just a family anymore? But a clan of three? Has that ever been accepted before? I know the Uchiha are still a clan officially even though it's down to just Mikoto and Sasuke, but that's a special circumstance, probably to not demoralize either surviving Uchiha. But for me? I just don't see it.

Maybe once this mess is over I should reach out and try to find other Uzumaki. Bring them here. If I can find five or six other Uzumaki out there . . . there would definitely be a legitimate clan.

But until then . . . I need to rein myself in.

Karin right now is just one of many things I need to juggle right now. I can't get ahead of myself here.

One thing at a time. One thing at a time.

* * *

Mikoto is shaking when I see her again. "The lone Sound team just qualified."

That's all she has to say. "I see."

My heart promptly begins slamming against my chest. Oh, they better not have touched Naruto and the others! If they have, I don't know if I'm going to be able to hold myself back. It doesn't matter that they're children. What matters is that my son and Mikoto's son and Hiashi's daughter are out there somewhere and haven't been killed.

"Just go downstairs and greet them like nothing's wrong," I say. "I'll walk with you. Just follow my lead."

"U-Understood."

I can sense the killing intent rising in Mikoto. It's almost _palpable_. And I don't blame her. If those kids laid so much as a finger on our children . . .

I run down the stairs and into the central hallway, making sure to stay ahead of Mikoto. I may need to hold Mikoto back if the wrong answer is given to us.

I _think_ I can keep myself under control. I _think_ I can. Maybe I can't. I don't know.

Guren is in the middle of speaking to her students. They look roughed up, particularly Zaku Ibumi and Kin Tsuchi. Zaku looks like he's been concussed, I don't think he fully knows where he is considering how glazed his expression is, and Kin just looks like she's been beaten to a pulp. Like a Hyuga got ahold of her and basically beat her senseless.

Wait. Does that mean . . .?

"Well now," Guren says, noticing our presence for the first time. "Looks like the proctor and her assistance have come to grace us with her presence."

Zaku continues to stare straight ahead, looking somewhat confused. Kin looks at us for a brief moment with her swollen face before looking away. Only Dosu keeps consistent eye contact.

"Is there a particular reason why you're here?" Guren asks, folding her arms in front of her.

"Don't play coy with me you _bitch_," Mikoto snaps, and I reach out my left arm to remind Mikoto not to strike.

"I don't think we can keep dancing around the truth here," I say. "I'm sure you know by now that us Leaf ninja know you Sound ninja are in fact Orochimaru's agents, and you're involved in this exam for whatever reason."

I see Guren's eyes narrow. She's wondering whether to strike or not. Her own killing intent is beginning to flare the way Mikoto's is. This could become violent at any moment and then who knows what's going to happen next.

The "treat them like nothing's wrong" strategy has pretty much vanished into the ether. Time for Plan B . . . which I'm making up as I go along.

"At the same time, your team _did_ submit a legitimate application. An application I now regret we didn't reject, but we're honorable enough to keep to our word. We're not going to eject your team from the exam or eliminate you through more _permanent_ means. Not yet."

Mikoto's anger is getting so obvious I can almost taste it. Even the Nine-Tails is beginning to enjoy this. I think it's looking forward to a fight.

"However, to be honest, I am sick and tired of the dancing around. So now that we're squared away, let me say this: you four are going to be watched _real_ close. You so much as _blink_ in a way we don't like, we _will_ eliminate the four of you. Is that clear?"

Guren smiles. "Of course."

"Good." I look at Dosu. "You know full well who I am, so you better not screw with me here. Did you encounter my son's team in that forest?"

Dosu nods. "Yes."

Mikoto's killing intent spikes and I look back at her. She's barely restraining herself. She's ready to murder these four regardless of the consequences. I'm not feeling much more merciful but I need to hold myself together so this situation doesn't come apart.

"Did you fight them?"

Dosu nods again. "Yes."

I look back at Mikoto, but there hasn't been any change in her. Other than her stance. She's all tensed up. I think she's finally realized that Guren isn't going to stand here and take if she attacks her students. Guren is just waiting for Mikoto to attempt to strike so she can strike back. And Guren's abilities are _nasty_. Her Crystal Prisons are highly lethal, and she could be preparing them right now, ready to unleash the moment Mikoto attacks.

"What happened?" I finally ask.

Dosu looks at Guren, who nods at him. Then Dosu looks back to me. "We found Team 7, it looked like they had gotten involved in a violent battle against another team, considering both Naruto and Sasuke both appeared exhausted when we confronted them. Then we engaged. Their third teammate, the Hyuga girl, was nowhere to be seen, we assumed that the other two were protecting her. Zaku pretended to be you, Kushina Uzumaki, but your son was smarter than we thought, he didn't fall for it. So we fought."

I look back at Mikoto, who is paying _rapt_ attention to this conversation. As long as that's all she does . . .

"Continue, please," I say.

"They fought hard, but the three of us got the edge over them. But that's when two teams interfered. The first team that interfered was a Grass team, which was most surprising. It was an older girl and two younger kids. We eventually defeated them."

So the seal I had placed on Naruto, and the corresponding seal I had given Ryuuzetsu, had both activated. The seals were supposed to activate the moment Naruto had used up sixty percent of his chakra or was knocked unconscious, signaling he was in trouble. Ryuuzetsu's seal would guide Ryuuzetsu and her team to Naruto's location where they would come to Team 7's defense. That's how I worked things out, and although Ryuuzetsu's team offered to do it for free, I still paid up. Paid extra, actually, by making it an A-rank. It wouldn't be fair if I didn't pay them.

"Then another team from the Leaf arrived to back them up, and we defeated them as well." Dosu looks at his two wounded teammates then. "That's when the Hyuga girl woke up, covered in markings."

The Cursed Seal! Hinata managed to survive it! Anko's going to be relieved! Oh thank the-

Wait. _Wait_. The Cursed Seal must have activated then! Scratch that, this is not good, not good at all! If Anko's stories about that seal are true . . .

"The Hyuga girl defeated both Zaku and Kin, before Naruto restrained her and convinced her to stop. I took both Zaku and Kin and left the battlefield. After that I hunted down and took the second scroll I needed on my own."

Dosu cocks his head. "You happy now?"

I look back at Mikoto. She's still shaking but she does look calmer in comparison to what she looked like earlier. I suppose I'll accept that.

"Yes," I say. It's not an answer I particularly want to give, but I'll stay polite. "Congratulations to you and your team. You passed the second test. However, your team also guarantees there will be a preliminary round before the third test, we have too many candidates. So you better hope Zaku and Kin are healed enough to qualify or you're going into the final round alone . . . and that's _if_ you pass."

Guren steps in before Dosu can say anything. "Let _me_ worry about that if you don't mind."

"Fair enough." I don't want to spend any further time with these people than I already have. I'm done with them. Other than making sure they don't murder Karin, anyway. If they try to kill Karin I'll gladly kill them to protect her.

The Nine-Tails just _chuckles_ at that. It finds my determination amusing. It's enough to drive me crazy.

"Come on, Mikoto," I say, patting her on the shoulder as I walk by her. After a moment, Mikoto silently turns around and follows me out of the room, leaving Guren to be with her genin.

"I was ready to kill them," Mikoto says as I open the door so we can both head back to the rest of the tower. "The moment I heard Sasuke was dead I was going to kill them. Everything lies on Sasuke's shoulders, Kushina. I can't let him die. It'll ruin _everything_."

"I understand," I say. "I'm angry at them too. But they did not kill our children, Mikoto, and I don't Dosu lied to us about what happened. I think he told the truth."

"I didn't detect any lying either," Mikoto says, clearly reluctant to admit that. "But it doesn't make me feel any better. They clearly beat up my child."

"They probably did, and they probably beat up Naruto too," I say as I shut the door and follow Mikoto up the stairs. "But they're _alive_, Mikoto. They're still out there in that forest. I think they're gonna make it."

"With Hinata Hyuga possibly possessed by that Cursed Seal," Mikoto says pointedly.

Mikoto is _not_ going to destroy my little bit of hope here. "You know who Hinata is. She's not going to become a monster, Mikoto, or attack Naruto and Sasuke. And if anything else goes wrong, Ryuuzetsu is there, Dosu confirmed that. She'll take care of things."

Mikoto raises an eyebrow at me. "I figured you had something to do with the Grass ninja protecting our children. You're the type of person who'd do something like that."

"It's how I know that they'll make it," I say. Still, it's not helping me sleep at night. I'm exhausted, but there's just too many thoughts going through my head for me to sleep.

Still, there's hope. That's what matters most of all.

"Mikoto," I finally say. "I know they'll make it here. It may take until the last day but they will make it here. Count on it."

"I wish I had your confidence," Mikoto says. "All I can think about is-"

"Mikoto, I know a lot rides on our children for the both of us. That's why we need to trust in them. This is a necessary rite of passage to guarantee they will become strong adults one day. We need to trust that they will make it here and continue on their journey to become chuunin. That's what I'm going to do, especially after what I just heard. I'm going to believe in them, Mikoto."

Mikoto shakes her head. "I will believe in them when I see them."

"Mikoto-"

"Kushina, I have a _lot_ on my mind right now. Please give me space," Mikoto says, and she promptly walks away.

What am I saying that's so wrong? What is wrong in believing in our children? We can't hold their hands for this, Mikoto, though I tried to make sure that they will be as safe as possible. That's why I had Ryuuzetsu there to be back-up.

I just . . . I just feel, Mikoto, that you don't believe in anyone or anything except _yourself_. I don't think you believe in _me_.

That _hurts_, Mikoto . . . and, well . . .

I don't know what's going to change your mind.

It's a sad way to be, though, Mikoto. I know that. I've been there. I spent eight years of my life that way, alone and isolated. I'm not going to live that kind of life anymore. And I'm scared that's the kind of life you're pursuing here.

And I don't know how to stop you.

I just know I need to find out how, Mikoto. To save you from . . . from whatever's eating you alive.

Before it's too late . . .

Before you don't even believe in _yourself_ . . .

* * *

Kushina has seized back the primary POV duties from Sasuke. Granted, the next chapter is a Sasuke chapter just to wrap up the second stage. After that, though, it's going to be Kushina for the majority of the remainder of the fic, minus a few glimpses from Sasuke's POV and a third POV that will begin soon after the preliminaries.

This chapter was kind of filler-y I admit but it was necessary to show what Kushina is up to. Also, Karin, heh.


	14. Finish Line

**Chapter Fourteen: Finish Line**

_Sasuke Uchiha_

I thought we would've qualified by now. It's the morning of the last day, after all. I know we haven't exactly been in the right condition to attempt to make it, but I think we could've made a go for it.

It was decided that Ryuuzetsu's team and my team would attempt to qualify together. We all have been beaten up and there is Hinata's condition too, so safety in numbers is the important factor here.  
The mark on Hinata's neck is clearly bothering her considering how often she's holding it and grimacing in pain. I don't think the seal is through with her yet. Not by a long shot. It's almost like the seal is a living, breathing entity, trying to absorb her little by little.

"All right, it's time to make our move," Ryuuzetsu says. We've been hiding out in a cave by the river, and the tower is _just_ visible above the forest's canopy. We're maybe an hour or so away from there if we were to charge there, but I know that's not the plan.

"About time," Naruto says, folding his arms and looking more stubborn than usual. "I was gettin' sick and tired of waiting around! What have we been waiting for anyway?"

"It's the last day," Ryuuzetsu says. "We needed the three days of rest without any confrontation after what we went through. There was no way any of us were going to get through to the tower in the shape we were in. We're pretty much gambling that it was better to take our rest right here in the woods rather than in the tower."

Ryuuzetsu probably has a point. I remember Mother's words about expecting preliminaries in-between the second and third rounds due to the sheer volume of ninja. If that's the case, the teams who qualify last will be at a disadvantage over those that qualify earlier. So perhaps this was Ryuuzetsu's plan, to have us take our rest over the last three days right in the woods and then make a dash for the tower, qualify, and then move right into the preliminaries if there are any.

"Right now, whoever's left is going to be incredibly desperate, and it would not surprise me if they're all grouping around that tower, ready to ambush anyone who has a pair of scrolls," Ryuuzetsu adds.

"Great," Naruto sighs. "More fighting."

"We don't have a choice," Ryuuzetsu says. "That's why we need to move together, as a large team. If anyone gets in our way we'll use our numbers to overwhelm them and move on without using up too much energy."

"I don't feel up to this," Tadashi groans.

Ryuuzetsu smiles at her younger teammate. "Yes, you are. We've made it this far, we can make it through one final push."

Hinata groans again, and I turn and see her grabbing her neck.

"Hinata, you okay?" Naruto asks.

"I-I'm fine, Naruto," Hinata moans softly, but the pain seems to go away and she relaxes after a moment. Her eyes look lost and hurt, though, and that's starting to worry me.

"We need to be going," Ryuuzetsu says. "We've just cooked a decent amount of fish, and that has a distinct odor. Both enemies and wild animals are going to be converging on us pretty soon. We need to be long gone before that happens."

"Agreed," I say. I scan the woods, and I don't see anything, not yet. But that doesn't mean people aren't coming.

"Hinata, can you scan the way for us to the tower?" I ask.

Hinata shakes her head.

"Hinata, you've been able to do it all the time before," Naruto says. "Is something wrong?"

Hinata bites her lip. "Yes."

Naruto's eyes widen. "What? You gotta be kidding me!"

"Let me handle this," I say, before Naruto can continue whining. I know he doesn't mean it but he's _really_ going to hurt Hinata's feelings if he continues on.

"Why not?" I ask. "Does it have to do with the Seal?"

"Y-Yes," Hinata says. "I've tried to turn the Byakugan on, multiple times. Every time I have, the seal tries to activate, it tries to take me over again. It's _responding_ to my chakra. I can't make it work, Sasuke, Naruto. If I do, I'll . . . I'll . . ."

Naruto places his hand on Hinata's shoulder, and she gasps and her face quickly turns red. "Don't worry about it, Hinata. Let us lead the way then. You'll be able to turn it back on once Konoha's best fix you up."

"O-Okay, Naruto . . ." Hinata replies softly.

Ryuuzetsu looks at me. "All right. Sasuke, I and my two teammates can't scan the way you and Hinata can. Do you mind taking point if Hinata can't scan for us?"

I suppose there's no real choice here. I know Ryuuzetsu's a friend, but she is technically from another village. She has no _reason_ to pull a double-cross, but for all I know she could want to help a team from her own village qualify, and my team has a complete set of scrolls. If a Grass team jumps out in front of us, we'll be surrounded.

Ryuuzetsu says her mission is to protect us, whatever the hell that means, but would that mission come before her loyalties to the Hidden Grass? And who knows if she's even telling the truth? All we have is her word . . . well, that and Naruto's seal which is long-gone now.

"All right, I'll take point," I say. "Hinata, Naruto, you take my flanks. It's time to go."

"You got it, pretty boy," Naruto says. His spirit isn't crushed yet.

"I'm with you," Hinata says softly.

"Okay, let's go." I look across the river, towards the woods that Ryuuzetsu had directed us towards.

And then we begin to run.

"How many Grass teams qualified for the second exam besides you?" I ask Ryuuzetsu after a moment. It's a fairly innocuous question, if she lies to me about it it'll definitely warn me whether to keep my guard up or not.

"Well, there was Shiore's team," Ryuuzetsu says. "But from what you guys told me sounds like Shiore was dead and possessed by someone called 'Orochimaru'. So I don't know if the real Shiore's in this exam or is dead. If Shiore's team is still here, that's one team. There were two other teams that made it through too."

"Who are they?" I ask.

"Let's worry about them if we encounter them," Ryuuzetsu says. "There's no way to tell if they're still in this or have been eliminated."

Fair enough answer, but not one I particularly like. I know Ryuuzetsu is friendly, I know she treats Naruto really well and is acting like a friend, but . . .

Maybe it's just my paranoia going haywire. That's all it is.

"I wonder if we're the only Kusa team left," Tadashi says out loud.

"I hope not!" Sango replies. "I don't want to take the third exam as the only Grass ninja!"

"As long as there _is_ a Grass ninja in the third exam, that's a good thing," Ryuuzetsu says. "The third exam takes place in front of a big crowd. People are watching and judging us. If we want contracts we need someone in the third round to demonstrate what we can do."

"The third round is in public?" I ask.

"Yes," Ryuuzetsu says. "Sometimes it's in teams, other times it's as individuals. But we perform in front of people in an arena of some kind."

"Awesome," Naruto says, a big smile on his face. "Just what I've been waiting for! I can't wait to show the entire ninja world who's the best!"

Ryuuzetsu smiles. "I figured you'd like that, Naruto."

"I love it!" Naruto says. "I can't wait for-"

That's when three shadows suddenly appear right in front of us.

"Stop!" I shout and we immediately stop on one of the giant tree branches we had been leaping through, and on the tree branch directly in front of us, lie a trio of Grass ninja, who all look older than the three of us.

I feel a weight land in-between me and Naruto, and I see Ryuuzetsu. She doesn't look happy.

"Well, well, Ryuuzetsu's here to give it another go," says the young man in the middle of the trio. "And you've brought us people from the Leaf Village. This works out wonderfully."

"I haven't given you anything." Ryuuzetsu draws a kunai and assumes a defensive position. "Masatsugu, right now I have promises to fulfill. If you want a scroll so you can qualify for the third exam, you should go elsewhere."

The young man named 'Masatsugu' has dark eyes, and they widen in apparent surprise. "You must be joking! You'd side with Leaf ninja over ninja from your own village? You want to be considered a traitor?"

"I am no traitor. However, these three Leaf ninja are friends of mine," Ryuuzetsu says. "I won't sell them out, Masatsugu. Please go somewhere else."

Looks like Ryuuzetsu is staying loyal. I should be breathing easier, but I don't know what Masatsugu's team will do. They're outnumbered by us but there's no telling how strong they really are. They look older, older than even Ryuuzetsu. They could wipe the floor with us for all I know.

Masatsugu just chuckles finally. "I can't believe this. You're serious. You'd protect this group of kids including someone stupid enough to dress in _orange_. What the hell happened to you, Ryuuzetsu? You were a hardass."

"Hey! I wear orange for a reason!" Naruto shouts, but Ryuuzetsu puts her arm in front of him before Naruto can continue.

"Let me talk to them, Naruto," Ryuuzetsu says.

Masatsugu draws a choukoto and puts on a fighting stance. "No . . . I think the time for words are over, Ryuuzetsu. If you'd really sell out your own village for these three brats, then you're our enemy too!"

"Don't be a fool!" Ryuuzetsu says, positioning her hands in front of her, making the sign of the tiger. "You know what I'm capable of, Masatsugu! Don't make me do it!"

One of Masatsugu's teammates, a tall girl with long, untamed blonde hair, grabs Masatsugu's shoulder. "You know what clan Ryuuzetsu hails from. The Isayama clan has incredible power, Masatsugu, thanks to their-"

"You think I honestly give a damn right now?" Masatsugu makes a stance that suggests he's going to charge us any second now. "We don't have a scroll! I thought we'd be able to get them to give us a scroll but they're traitors! All three of them! Even the kids!"

"Oh crap," Tadashi gasps.

"Hey!" Sango shouts. "You'd really kill us too?"

"You don't get it!" Masatsugu shouts. "This is regulated _war_, children! Everything goes here, including your life! And if you're not willing to fight for your own village, then you're fair game!"

"That's crap!" Naruto shouts. "Listen to yourself! You're just trying to justify your own selfishness!"

Masatsugu raises an eyebrow. "_My_ selfishness? Listen you-"

"Chakra Chains Technique!" All of a sudden three chains shoot out from where Naruto's standing and wrap Masatsugu up tight.

"What the hell?" Masatsugu wheezes. Naruto's grip is _tight_, so tight that Masatsugu drops his katana because there's no force in his hand anymore.

With Masatsugu's two teammates caught completely off guard, I see my chance. I leap off the tree branch, with one goal in mind. Knock them both unconscious while Naruto keeps Masatsugu occupied.

I aim for the other male and smash the back of his skull, using chakra funneled to my fists to enhance the blow. He crumples like a sack of potatoes and falls off the branch, crashing to the ground below.

Ryuuzetsu's already taken care of the woman. She has the woman seized and helpless, a kunai knife pointed at the woman's neck. "You shouldn't have made us do this."

Masatsugu wheezes, and it becomes apparent that he's in trouble. Just as he falls unconscious, Naruto loosens the chains and then spins the chains so Masatsugu gradually falls out of them as he's descended to the ground. Masatsugu is left lying on top of his comrade's body, unconscious.

Ryuuzetsu chops the woman in the neck and she also falls unconscious. "All right, that takes care of _that_."

"Who were these guys?" Naruto asks. "They were jerks."

"Grass ninja. Opportunistic ones," Ryuuzetsu replies. "They do this a lot from what I've heard. Wait until the last day and then try to find a successful Grass team and try to make them give up a spare scroll. It's worked for them in the past . . . not now, though."

Naruto makes a scoffing noise as Ryuuzetsu lowers the woman down and drops her on top of her teammates' bodies. "Instead of wasting their time scheming they should've spent it training! No wonder these losers haven't made chuunin yet! They're lazy!"

"That's one way to look at it," Ryuuzetsu says as she leaps back up into the same tree as Naruto and I. The rest of our teammates quickly join us.

"All right," Ryuuzetsu says. "Let's go before someone else interferes, and they probably won't be as easy as these guys."

I'm not going to argue. "Sounds good to me."

It seems Ryuuzetsu is truly our friend after all. To do _that_ instead of siding her own villagers . . . that says a lot. Somehow we've really won her over, even though we haven't known her for very long.

It seems to be Naruto that did it. He's already smiling and joking around, and Ryuuzetsu just smiles at everything Naruto says. Something about Naruto has touched Ryuuzetsu somehow, touched her in her heart. What Naruto said in the Land of Snow must have had a profound effect on her, and I wouldn't be shocked if Naruto's determination in that battle against the Sound genin had impressed her too.

Plus she's spent the last three days with us. Both of our teams have gotten to know each other pretty well. I am sure that's helped too.

What is it about Naruto that makes people want to be better people, to want to be around him? Naruto's loud and very non-ninja-like, he can be grating and annoying a lot, and he says a lot of dumb jokes. And yet, he wins people over anyway. He does something no one ever expects, he says something that blasts through the shields people keep around their emotions and feelings, and all of a sudden he's their greatest friend.

What is it about him that gets people to like him so much? Not even his mother has that kind of ability, this charisma, that makes this kind of stuff happen.

"We should be going," Hinata says softly, interrupting one of Naruto's jokes.

"Oh yeah, you're right," Naruto says. "Sorry. Just kinda basking in the easy victory there. We don't get those every day."

"It's all right. We should enjoy our easy victories," Ryuuzetsu says. She points to the tower. "But I think we should enjoy it in the _tower_. We're still exposed here."

"Heh heh," Naruto's face turns red. "Right. Forgot about that. We ain't in the clear yet."

"No, we're not." Ryuuzetsu positions herself to jump. "Come on, follow me."

She begins leaping through the trees, all too content to take point this time, and I follow her. I guess she feels safe if she doesn't want me to scan the way.

She must really think we're about to win. We have to be _really_ close to the tower in order for that to happen.

I can't wait until I see it in clear view. When that happens . . . when that happens . . .

It'll be nice to finally be safe.

I hope I haven't given Mother a heart attack by being out here so long. I'm sure she's not happy.

Something tells me I'm going to be getting a lecture when all of this is over.

* * *

The tower is _huge_. Five, six stories, easily. And it has multiple entrances, not that it surprises me at all.

"All right," Ryuuzetsu says. "Once we walk inside, we're not targets anymore. You guys are more banged up, you can take this entrance. My team will walk around and enter through the next door. We'll see you guys inside."

"It was great working with ya," Naruto says. "I think we're gonna be rivals in the next round, won't we?"

"We probably will," Ryuuzetsu says. "But I'm looking forward to it, Naruto. I want to see you give it your best out there, even if it's against me. I'm not going to tolerate you going easy on me."

"Heh. Same with you," Naruto says.

Ryuuzetsu just smiles and then she motions to her two teammates. "Come on, guys. Time for round three."

As they vanish around the corner, I look at the double doors.

"Hard to believe we've made it," I say.

"Not long before we ran out of time too," Naruto says. "We really pushed our luck. If those guys had given us a _real_ fight who knows if we would've made it in time."

"We _have_ pushed our luck," Hinata says. "After everything that's happened, I'm amazed we're even alive, much less moving on to the next round."

Hinata's not grabbing her neck, which is a good thing to see, but she looks _tired_. I don't know what the seal is doing to her but it can't be good. It's bothering her a _lot_, even when it's not putting her in pain. Anko-sensei doesn't seem to be bothered by her own seal, so I don't know if Hinata just has to get _used_ to it or Hinata just needs whatever counter-seal Anko-sensei has to keep the pain and influence to a minimum.

"Don't talk like that," Naruto says. "You're gonna be okay, Hinata. Once we get inside, there's people who are going to be able to help you."

"I hope so, Naruto," Hinata says, looking away from us. I can tell by the way she's acting she doesn't believe it.

"Hinata." Naruto marches right over to Hinata and grabs Hinata by her shoulders. "Don't give up on yourself. You not giving up on yourself is why you're still alive right now. You can beat this thing. You've already not let it kill you. Now you can't let it absorb you or change you or whatever it's trying to do. You did the hardest part, which is to _live_. Who says you can't do the other parts, huh?"

"I-I understand, Naruto," Hinata says, blushing in clear embarrassment.

"Good!" Naruto spins around, folding his arms. "Glad that's all cleared up! Open the doors, pretty boy!"

Oh really now? "I thought you'd want to open the doors."

"I was first in and first out in the first exam," Naruto says. "You were first in when we started this exam. You got the right to be first out. Plus you're the boss anyway."

Well, when Naruto puts it _that_ way . . . "All right, then."

I put my hands on the double doors and _push_. The doors look like they should be exceptionally heavy, too heavy for me to push by myself, but for some reason the doors seem light. More light than they should be. I don't know why.

It's a giant empty room.

"So . . ." Naruto clears his throat. "Did we pass or is there something else going on?"

"There's a sign hanging on the wall," Hinata says as she enters the room.

The doors are still open, and I kick them both shut. I'm not going to let a last-second opportunist take this away from us. Not when we've made it this far.

"What sign?" I ask after the last door closes with a satisfying _thump_ that hopefully means _safety_.

"To the right," Hinata says, before she groans again, grabbing her neck.

"You all right?" Naruto asks.

"I-I'm fine," Hinata says, but this looks like a particularly bad attack. She looks like she wants to fall to her knees.

Naruto wraps his arm around her shoulder and they both sit down together. "Come on. We can sit down now. We made it."

"I'm sorry," Hinata says softly.

"Nothin' to be sorry for," Naruto replies.

All right. Naruto's placed himself in charge of helping Hinata. That means it's up to me to figure out what to do next.

I look at the sign. It looks like some kind of poetry:

_If qualities of Heaven_

_are your desire,_

_Acquire wisdom and_

_knowledge to take your mind higher._

_If Earthly qualities are what you lack,_

_Train your body in the field and prepare_

_to attack._

_When both Heaven and Earth are opened together,_

_The path of peril will revert to the righteous path forever._

_This " " is the secret way..._

_...that guides us on from this place today._

_-The Third Hokage_

Uh . . . huh.

Okay, what the heck does any of that even mean? And what's with the blank space there, too? The _blank_ is the secret way . . .

I was top of my class. I should be able to figure this kind of stuff out. This is obviously a riddle, and it should be an easy one! Something about this poem seems awfully familiar and . . .

Wait!

Heaven and Earth . . .

"Naruto! Hinata! You both are carrying the scrolls! Take them out!" I say.

"You think it's time to open them?" Naruto asks.

"Exactly," I say. "The poem recites both Heaven and Earth, and that's what those scrolls represent: Heaven and Earth. We need to open them both at the same time!"

"All right." Naruto takes out the scroll he had with him, the Heaven Scroll. "Hinata, take out the Earth Scroll."

"Okay." Hinata reaches into her pack and pulls out the Earth Scroll.

I position myself right behind Naruto and Hinata. "Open them both at the same time, on the count of three, okay?"

"Don't get so excited, pretty boy!" Naruto says. "This could be a trap or another part of the test!"

"I don't think they're gonna put us through more hell after what just happened to us," I say. "Now, on the count of three: one, two, three!"

Both Naruto and Hinata rip the scrolls open . . . and what we see is a giant character, which I quickly realize means 'humanity'.

What? Why does it say . . .

Wait. That's the word that goes into the blank space, I bet! 'Humanity'! 'Humanity' is the secret way, which . . . I don't know. Must have something to do with how . . .

Wait, why's there smoke coming from the scrolls?

Crap.

"Naruto, Hinata, drop the scrolls and back away! It's a Summoning Seal!"

Both of them quickly throw the scrolls away, and both land next to each other as smoke fills the room. It quickly becomes apparent that someone is _standing_ in the smoke, something _human_.

"What do we do?" Naruto asks as he stands up.

"Wait for it," I say. Hinata gets to her feet, but she's already grabbing her neck. If this is gonna be another fight, it's going to have to be me and Naruto doing most of the work!

The figure steps out of the smoke.

It's . . .

"Anko!" Naruto shouts as it becomes clear who the person is. He suddenly comes charging forward, faster than I've ever seen him move, and basically tackles our sensei, who just laughs as she clutches Naruto in her arms.

"You did it!" Anko-sensei shouts as she falls down, Naruto still clinging to her. "You guys did it! I'm so proud!"

We made it. We really made it . . .

We're safe.

This damn second test is really over then! We're officially done!

"Anko-sensei!" Hinata tears off towards Anko-sensei as well and somehow Anko-sensei finds room to take Hinata into her other arm, forming an awkward group hug on the ground.

Damn . . . now I want to do the same thing they're doing. Just to . . . I don't know. I really should be trying to grow up, not do this kind of sentimental crap . . .

Oh, to hell with it!

"Anko-sensei!" Yeah, I'm still a kid. I can't help it.

That's what we are. Three scared twelve-year-olds who've gone through hell and just want to be safe. Seeing our sensei here gives us permission to be children again, to try to pretend that we haven't had to experience and do so many cruel things just to survive, just to make it here.

"Okay, okay!" Anko-sensei exclaims after what seems to be an eternity of all three of us clinging to her. "That's enough! Time to be ninja again, you know?"

"Uh . . . all right . . ." Naruto says.

"I'm sorry," Hinata says as she finally lets go of Anko-sensei.

"It's okay," Anko-sensei says, smiling. "You guys did great. Just made it under the wire. I never doubted you guys, I knew you'd make it."

But as Anko-sensei looks at Hinata, her face grows solemn. "How's the seal, Hinata?"

"You know about this?" Hinata asks, clearly shocked.

"Yeah, I do," Anko-sensei says. "Lemme have a look at it, 'kay?"

"Um . . . all right."

Anko-sensei walks up to Hinata and examines the seal for a minute, before shaking her head. "Yeah, that's a perfect Cursed Seal of Heaven. Has a really lethal rate, Hinata. One-in-ten chance of survival. You're really tough, tougher than probably everyone, including me, thought you are, Hinata. It takes a lot of internal strength to survive this seal."

"T-Thanks?" Hinata says awkwardly.

Anko-sensei smiles. "It's a compliment, Hinata. It shows that you're special, that . . . that all three of you are special, to make it this far, after everything you guys have gone through."

That smile becomes a big goofy grin. "That's why instead of having a chuunin tell you guys you passed and then have me greet you I asked to do both things at once. You guys needed this, after everything you've been put through, you know? No other team had a harder road than you three. And you still pulled it off. You're going onto the next round, one step closer to becoming chuunin."

A door to the left opens, and Anko's grin becomes smaller, more warm and solemn. "Also . . . Naruto, Sasuke . . . I think a certain proctor and her assistant have been looking forward to this for the last five days."

Wait, does she mean . . .

There they are. Both of them.

Mother and Ms. Uzumaki.

"Mom," Naruto says softly.

Ms. Uzumaki already has tears streaming down her face. "Oh, Naruto."

It seems that in the very next moment, they're together, arms wrapped around each other, both of them in tears, not saying a word. Something tells me that they don't need to say anything. It's clear how close the two of them are.

"Sasuke." Mother's voice.

She's right in front of me.

Her eyes . . . her eyes look so . . .

They're originally distant, but then they shimmer. And then she takes me in her arms and holds me close.

Her voice is soft. Really soft. Softer than I've ever heard it during the last four years. "Don't scare me like that ever again."

"I . . . I won't, Mother."

I know there's going to be another round. I know it's not over yet. But I can't help it. I just feel _safe_. It's only going to be for a moment, before it's time to move on, before it's time to prepare for the third test, but I think, I truly think, I should just enjoy this moment.

I've lost all of my friends in the clan, and all of their families. I've lost my father. My brother is the one who killed them all. I've lost so much. It's so hard to not just hate everyone and everything and just want to be alone.

This is reminding me why doing that would be so completely and utterly _stupid_.

As long as Mother's here . . . as long as Anko-sensei is here, as long as my teammates are here . . .

I can't desire being alone.

"I promise."

* * *

Not really much to say about this chapter. Stage 2 is done. And Sasuke's POV will be given a long rest.


	15. Final Test

I'm reluctant to say how exactly the Leaf plans to thwart Orochimaru here, but there is indeed a plan. But Orochimaru has his own ideas of escalation if the Leaf successfully block his moves. Right now neither side is really sure of what to do. Right now, the Leaf can't just go and cancel the exam, though. It's the best way they can keep an eye on Guren, Dosu, and company, so they don't try something, and keeping the exam running may allow them to spot Orochimaru's plan, however, revised, before it is attempted. Stopping the exam makes Orochimaru's movements completely unpredictable.

Anyway, chapter time. And no, Kushina and Minato facing off in their own Chuunin Exam back in the day (which has been mentioned multiple times before this point) is NOT canon. It's just something I decided to insert because it felt right.

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen: Final Test**

"I can't believe this," Mikoto says as she looks over the final roster. "I don't think we've ever had a lineup like this before. The only teams from the Leaf that qualified are teams who've never attempted the exam before. And from the other participating villages, only one team apiece made it, and you can count the number of Exam veterans on one hand. The Rain team is entirely made out of veterans, and the Grass team and the Waterfall team each have one veteran. I don't know if this means we have special rookies or what."

I'm reminded of my own Exam in Ame, facing off against another first-timer in the Exams like myself. Minato and I, fighting to the finish, last fight of the last round. "This has happened before, Mikoto, where rookies just wind up surprising everyone else. Perhaps the veterans beat each other up and ignored the rookies, or perhaps the rookies just are that good. I guess we'll find out, won't we?"

Mikoto shakes her head. "I suppose."

"All of the jonin-sensei of the qualifying teams have been gathered," says Genma Shiranui, one of the jonin in the village and the backup proctor for the third exam. "The various jonin-sensei of the teams who perished or did not qualify have been notified and are exiting the tower as we speak. It's time for the Hokage to speak to the qualifying genin."

"Understood, we'll both be there in a minute," Mikoto says.

Genma nods and he vanishes then, leaving Mikoto and I in this room by ourselves.

"I doubted them," Mikoto says. "I doubted our children would make it. This whole time, I thought we would find them dead. How did they make it, Kushina?"

"They gutted it out," I reply, and it's the only answer I can think of. "They know not to give up until the very end. They fought their way here as hard as they could and they pulled it off."

"I guess they did," Mikoto says.

I wish we could've done something to reduce Hinata's pain at least, though. But there was no time and we're not allowed to help her yet. To help Hinata before it's officially cleared to do so would be to disqualify her and Team 7 and Hinata doesn't want to let her teammates down. She was _adamant_ about that, surprisingly strong-willed, stronger than I've ever seen Hinata.

_"I'm not letting them down anymore! They deserve to be here and I'm not going to take it away from them because I'm weak, Ms. Uzumaki! Naruto and Sasuke . . . they'd live with this pain. They'd find a way to live through it. I have to find a way too."_

Something tells me that the way she found the will to live is connected to what she said to me.

Still, that girl is in a _lot_ of pain and she's just weathering it. I don't know if she stands a chance in the preliminaries up ahead. The bouts will be solo, so Hinata can hopefully just quit then and get the assistance she needs while Naruto and Sasuke can attempt to advance without worrying about her. I don't want Hinata to try to qualify in so much pain. She can make another go next year.

"Has anyone told Hiashi Hyuga about what happened to Hinata in the forest?" I ask.

"No," Mikoto says. "Information about Orochimaru is not allowed to leave the tower. We've invited Hiashi to the tower and we will inform him here, but he hasn't shown up yet. We may not be able to tell him until the preliminaries are in progress."

That just makes my heart skip a beat. This is going to be a really rude awakening for Hiashi once he learns what happened to his eldest daughter. I know him, and he's going to be _furious_ over what happened to his daughter. Absolutely, positively, _furious_.

"I see." All right, calm down. Keep it together. Right now, Naruto is going to be fighting in these preliminaries on _incredibly_ short rest. Barely a couple of hours. He's going to be at a serious disadvantage. You need to cheer him on, and hope he doesn't draw someone like that Gaara child.

Actually, if Naruto draws Gaara, I'm going to withdraw Naruto right then and there. I don't care if it makes Naruto angry with me. I saw what Gaara did to those Rain genin. I'll be damned if I let Naruto die like that. The worst thing I could do to Naruto is allow him to fight that murderous child who is quite likely a jinchuuriki.

Hiruzen had noted my observations on Gaara. "_The fact that he doesn't have a scratch on him definitely increases the possibility of him being a jinchuuriki. I'll have Jiraiya while he's in the Hidden Sand try to get concrete information on that. It would be the perfect ambush tactic, a hidden jinchuuriki in our midst._"

At least Hiruzen was staying on top of things here. He's on full alert. He knows what the village is up against, and how close this Exam is to descending into a farce. I have to trust Hiruzen to make sure that this village will stay safe and that monsters like Orochimaru don't have a shot to destroy it.

"Come on, Mikoto," I say. "The preliminaries are going to start and you need to hand it off to the next proctor."

"All right, all right," Mikoto says, taking a deep breath, and she visibly relaxes . . . to a _point_. The underlying edge is still there, but she managed to let go of some of it.

"I can do it," Mikoto says after exhaling. "I can do it."

"Good," I say. "Now come on."

I hope Mikoto can hold on for just a little longer. Once the preliminaries are over, we'll be able to relax a little more, pending whatever Orochimaru's up to. Our children are about to fight for their very lives. I know she'll jump in the moment she feels Sasuke is going to die, and I will do the same for Naruto.

Stay safe, Naruto. I love you. I know you can do this. Just don't draw Gaara. Please, don't draw Gaara . . .

* * *

Everyone has indeed been gathered. All of the qualifying genin are in the middle of what is to be the battle arena, and the rest of us, including the jonin-sensei, are standing in this grandstand just above the arena. There's a railing surrounding the battle arena, that's where the genin waiting to battle, as well as those who've finished and not been decapicitated, are going to watch the matches and wait.

As I scan the crowd, I see Hiashi Hyuga coming to join us. So, he's going to be given the bad news right as the preliminaries are going to get underway. That makes me feel sick. Hopefully we'll be able to break it to him gently before Hinata fights.

Mikoto steps forward to address the genin. "Congratulations, all twenty-seven of you, who have passed the second test of this Chuunin Exam. You've earned your way here. You should be proud of yourselves, you are the largest contingent of genin to pass the second round in two decades."

She takes a deep breath. "I am not going to say much more. I will pass the torch to the Third Hokage, who will address you now and explain the nature of the Chuunin Exams for you. Then you will be given further instructions on what to do next. Lord Hokage?"

Mikoto steps aside, and quickly manuevers her way over to me. "Finally. I'm done. I never wanted to be proctor anyway," she whispers.

"You did okay," I say.

"Never again," Mikoto whispers. "Never again."

I guess Mikoto _really_ hated the job. Or perhaps it was just what happened while she was in charge. That I fully understand. I put my hand on her shoulder. "You did the best you could. There's nothing to be ashamed about, Mikoto."

Hiruzen begins talking. "Thank you all for being here today. The third examination is about to commence . . . but before I go into the specifics of how it will be conducted . . . let me make one thing perfectly clear! It pertains to the underlying purpose of the exam."

"He's going to be going on for a while," Mikoto sighs. "I saw him ramble like this the last time we hosted the Exams."

"Why do you suppose an examination of this nature is being jointly conducted by all of the nations in our mutual alliance? 'To promote friendship among allied nations and raise the level and standards in the art of the shinobi . . .' Be very clear about what those fine-sounding hrases actually mean! This series of so-called examinations is, in fact . . . a miniature war between all of our allied lands."

Oh boy, he's going _there_, isn't he? I can already hear many of the genin below us beginning to get nervous and freak out.

The Chuunin Exams have been something that's been in practice for years and years, but the truth is that it's done an inconsistent job of preventing what it's supposed to accomplish. And there are still ways to become chuunin without passing the exam. It's possible, and frequent, to be promoted personally by your village's leader, but that doesn't usually happen until after you're twenty-five years old and have proven yourself worthy through years of missions. You also don't gain a lot of notoriety that way.

"If you were to study recent history, and consult a map, it would swiftly become apparent that our alliance is, in fact . . . a temporary and mutually beneficial agreement between a group of geographically contiguous lands . . . whose previous existence was one of continual strife, constantly jockeying against one another, openly and in secret, for power and the control of resources that were perpetually depleted almost to exhaustion in the struggle . . . until a better way was devised: the way of the Chuunin Ninja Selection Examination."

Naruto is already protesting. "That's the stupidest thing I ever heard! I thought the point was to select chuunin!"

Hiruzen chuckles, and suddenly I remember why. I had shouted the exact same thing at the leader of the Hidden Rain Village when he was explaining the nature of the exams, and Hiruzen had witnessed that.

Damn, remembering that is making my cheeks hot. I have to be blushing. Sometimes the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, as the old adage says.

"Make no mistake, when this exam is done, it will have the side effect of winnowing out any applicants unfit to ascend to the level of chuunin, but even more importantly, it serves as an arena wherein, for the honor of their respective homelands, young shinobi may fight . . . to the death, if need be!"

The somewhat-sinister implication here is that the most dangerous young shinobi have a tendency to be killed. Psychotics struggle to pass the Exams, they mentally can't handle it and usually wind up dying. This is meant to keep the shinobi ranks professional and loyal to their leaders to minimize betrayal and atrocity.

"This third examination will be conducted under the watchful eyes of a number of distinguished guests . . . including the rulers and nobility of the various lands you all aspire to serve. And among their number will be those who rule over each country's own hidden ninja villages. They will be watching you. If any one nation's applicants demonstrate outstanding skill and superiority . . . the noblemen from every land will be quick to commission work from those trained in that superior nation. Conversely, if a particular country's applicants are shown to be incompetent or feeble . . . commissions to agents of that country will twindle."

And _that_ is what the Exams are held for, more than anything else. Money, first and foremost. We have our best and brightest attack each other to try to impress the nobles so we can get hired for more and more missions. More missions equals more money. It's more difficult for the smaller villages to impress like the Hidden Grass and the Hidden Waterfall because of their lack of numbers. There's a reason why neither nation have a ton of chuunin.

"And when one land is strong in battle, and the village coffers overflow with the fruits of the many outside commissions it begets . . . then that village may say to its neighbors, 'Beware, for we possess prowess and riches and the influence of political power!'" Hiruzen continues.

Another interruption, this time from the Kiba Inuzuka boy. "So? Why is it necessary to stake our lives and fight?"

"The strength of a country is derived from the strength of its village . . . and the village draws strength from the shinobi will live there . . . and the greatest strength of those shinobi . . . only emerges in the midst of a desperate life-and-death battle! These exams provide a public arena for each country to show off and boast of the strength of its warriors . . . and hence the strength of the country itself!"

Sounds like Hiruzen is wrapping things up. "This test has meaning and great consequence. As you struggle for the sake of your very lives and your people, you help to fulfill the dreams that were envisioned by our ancestors."

Another young Leaf ninja, a girl I don't recognize, protests. "But . . . you've always emphasized the concept of 'friendship'! Why?"

"Thought my meaning is subtle, I chose my words with care. To perserve the balance of power at the risk lives, is the essence of friendship in the world of shinobi. Let me reiterate before the third exam begins . . . you are taking no ordinary test! You risk not only your own futures and your dreams, but the dignity and prestige of your home village as well."

Sounds like Hiruzen is finally finishing things up. I already see one of our number jumping down to the floor below.

"Um . . . my name is Hayate Gekko, I'm the proctor for the third exam," he says, and then he coughs.

Oh no. I've met Hayate. He's a rather sickly young man, afflicted with a type of chakra disease that's incurable, though, thankfully, only transferable through blood. He has to keep fighting it on a daily basis and it's given him a horrible cough. He's a jonin, but he became a jonin before contracting the disease. We don't send him on many missions anymore because his coughing is guaranteed to give away his position.

This is probably the first important assignment we've given him since he got sick. Hayate lacks charisma and often seems to struggle with his words, like he can't decide what to say and when. This is not a job really built for him, but . . . if we don't give him _this_ to do, what can we give him? Hayate probably feels useless being stuck in Konoha all the time, being supported by his ANBU girlfriend.

"I apologize, Lord Hokage, but may I have the floor? Um . . . there's some things I need to explain to them," Hayate says.

"Go ahead," Hiruzen replies. "I was finished."

"Thank you," Hayate says, following by another loud, sickly cough, sounds full of phlegm.

"All right . . . uh, listen up. Twenty-seven of you have passed the second exam. That's . . . admirable. Unfortunately . . . we can't begin the exam with this many participants," Hayate says. "Our benefactors are expecting things to be . . . um, quick-moving, brisk. intense. And the Land of Fire benefactors are not interested in team matches, so we're forced to use solo rounds. We can't have a final round that'll take multiple days to complete. So half of you will be eliminated right now on the spot."

"Come on!" Naruto shouts. "Who cares about these rich guys? We all earned the chance to move on to the final round!"

"That's . . . that's the rules, unfortunately," Hayate says, coughing. "I'm sorry. And here's one more wrinkle . . . due to the odd number of participants, one of you will have to fight _twice_."

Oh crap. I had forgotten about that. There's twenty-seven people down there! One of them is left out!

"Unless . . . one of you, um, drops out right now, on the spot, there'll be an odd number of people. We'll have to hold an initial round between two genin chosen by chance. The victor will have to fight again, the loser will be knocked out," Hayate says. "If any of you aren't feeling up to, uh, competing . . . please tell me now. You are fighting solo from this point on, not as part of a team. Your choice will not affect your teammates."

I see Hinata there, still grabbing her neck. It must be agonizing, and she's trying to hide how much pain she's in. I don't see how she can be expected to fight in such condition, but she's staying right in there, waiting for her turn. She's going to stay as long as Naruto and Sasuke are going to keep going. They've influenced her that much.

She isn't the frightened, shy little girl I originally thought she was. She has the capacity to become so much stronger. I just wish she didn't have to suffer so much.

No one is going to drop out. They don't care if they have to fight again. They look _furious_, almost uniformly, at the prospect of having to fight again, but that's what they're going to do. They know their shot at becoming chuunin is within their grasp, and they're not going to give up. Not now.

"I see." Hayate coughs again. "Well then, I'm going to lay the ground rules before we begin the initial match. Any weapons or supplies you may have on hand are permitted to be used in the exam. You are allowed to use as much force as possible, in fact, it's recommended. The fight goes on until one of you says he surrenders, or is knocked unconscious or killed."

He coughs violently. The genin are beginning to back away from him, thinking he can transmit the disease to him. "Um . . . right. To prevent a _total_ bloodbath . . . if I or any of the other sensei around feel that a match has been . . . um, irrevocably decided . . . we can stop the match. Don't expect that to happen frequently."

He coughs one more time, and then looks up to where there's some kind of . . . I guess some kind of scoreboard? Must be Sky Country leftovers like the videotapes they had made me view days ago, when I witnessed Gaara's little massacre.

It's a one-in-twenty-seven chance. Just breathe. Just breathe. It's not going to be Naruto. Not Naruto. Not him.

Then one name appears. _Shikamaru Nara_.

Shikamaru's voice is audible even up here. "I have to fight _twice_? This is gonna be a drag."

Okay. One down, one to go. Please. Please not Naruto. Not my child. Don't make him fight-

_Naruto Uzumaki_.

Oh no.

No.

Not my child. Not my child.

They're really going to make him fight _twice_ after everything he's been through? He hasn't even had a couple hours of rest since he made it here! What are they thinking? Why? Why?

"Oh, this is crap!" Anko shouts from somewhere. "Give me a break, Hayate!"

"It was chosen at random," Hayate says. "And that's how it's going to go. Nothing is going to change it."

They're really going to do it. Make Naruto fight twice. This isn't fair! Naruto's twelve years old! Make one of the older kids fight instead! Naruto's worked hard to make it this far and has had to go through horror after horror and was nearly killed out there! Why do this to him?

I can hear my son chuckling. "Sounds good to me! Figures you'd make the future Hokage work harder to win! I can handle anything you guys throw at me! Believe it!"

Naruto, you don't understand. You haven't gotten any rest since you qualified. And they're expecting you to fight _twice_. Even if you win this fight, you're going to have to fight _again_. How are you going to stand any chance at all?

No. No, calm down. I have to keep calm. I have to believe in him. That's what Naruto would want. He's always been good at finding ways to achieve his goals no matter how terrible the odds are. He just needs to find whatever magic it is that allows him to do that. That's what he has to do.

I feel so sick to my stomach. Naruto, be careful. Please be careful.

No, that's not what Naruto wants to hear. Or _needs_ to hear.

Damn it, what would be the right thing to say?

"All right, everyone head up to the next level. Your sensei will meet you there," Hayate says. "Naruto Uzumaki, Shikamaru Nara, stay here. Your fight will begin in a moment."

"You all right, Kushina?" Mikoto asks me.

"I think I'm gonna throw up." That's the honest answer.

With the sensei clearing out, I can see Naruto much more clearly, and he can see _me_. He's actually looking up at the crowd, looking for me. He wants to know I'm watching.

He sees me.

We're making eye contact right now.

Shake it off. You have to shake off your worrying. It's not going to help Naruto.

Find the words. Find them. Find whatever it is that will give Naruto that extra push to overcome this and . . .

"Naruto!" I shout. "Kick his ass!"

I can't believe I just screamed that. I think I have everyone up here _staring_ at me.

But there it is. That big old silly grin he wears so much. He's looking at me and giving me a thumbs-up. "Believe it, Mom!"

He's so confident. Has he always been like this?

He must have. I have never seen my son waver, except for those few times when he was sobbing over killing intent. But those days look to be over. He's becoming a young man. I think even his voice is beginning to change at long last. He . . . he's probably going to sound like Minato once his voice deepens and stops cracking.

He's such a brave boy. He's my brave little boy, trying to become a man. To him, this is just another obstacle in his path to becoming Hokage.

They're facing each other right now, Shikamaru, who's still grumbling over having to fight twice even if he wins. And Naruto, staring Shikamaru down with a determined smile on his face. He doesn't care about anything I'm worried about. It's not even on his mind. He's gonna worry about it after he beats Shikamaru.

"All right, since this is, um, the initial round," Hayate says, "The victor will be given medical treatment to heal any injuries suffered because of this match . . . and _only_ because of this match. The loser will have medical treatment too of course, for _all_ injuries, but you won't fight again. That much clear?"

"Clear!" Naruto says.

"Yeah yeah, clear," Shikamaru groans.

Hayate's stepping away. The battle's going to begin any second.

Naruto, just . . . just remember what I told you. Not just now. Just know not to push yourself too hard. You'll have another chance at this. With your skill, making it this far again in six months is a near-inevitability. I want you to win, of course, but I want you to _live_ most of all.

Please . . . please just live.

"All right!" Hayate shouts, raising his hand. "Three, two, one . . . begin!"

His hand comes down, and the battle between Naruto and Shikamaru starts.


	16. Rocks

The first round of the preliminaries is underway! Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen: Rocks**

Naruto makes the first move. He takes a pair of shuriken and throws them at Shikamaru, who ducks to the left, dodging the both of them, but Naruto is charging right for him.

Naruto is wasting no time. He's going to end this as quickly as possible. Good strategy especially if you plan on fighting later.

He punches Shikamaru in the face and that drops Shikamaru to the ground. Naruto already preparing to end this, he's drawn a kunai and looks intent to rush Shikamaru again and take him down while Shikamaru's on the ground.

Shikamaru sits up and immediately makes hand signs. "Shadow Possession Technique!"

"Crap!" Naruto immediately bounces away from Shikamaru and backs away from the other boy, the shadow seeming to follow Naruto but not quite catching him.

Shikamaru's smiling. He knows he's re-taken the initative. He's put Naruto on the defense becaue of that shadow.

I've seen this technique before. Shikamaru is much like his father. Shikamaru is trying to use his shadow to take control of Naruto's body, though he can't possess Naruto's mind. If Shikamaru's shadow catches hold of Naruto, every move Shikamaru makes, Naruto will be forced to imitate. By itself, that won't win the match, but Shikamaru's smart. He'll probably figure something out to make Naruto lose while Shikamaru wins while using that technique.

Come on, Naruto. Shikamaru may be smart but he doesn't have your power, and he definitely doesn't have your determination. You can do it.

Win.

Naruto backs away, still armed with his kunai. "I'm not going to be stopped by your tricks, Shikamaru!"

"I know. I'm going to have to find some other way to win. What a drag," Shikamaru replies.

They seem to be in a stalemate now. Shikamaru's conserving his chakra, he doesn't have his shadow activated but looks like he can at a moment's notice. And Naruto's wondering how he can make an attack without Shikamaru's shadow grabbing hold of him.

The Chakra Chains, Naruto. Use the Chakra Chains. That's your way out of this.

Wait, no. Shikamaru can just have his shadow travel along the Chakra Chains' shadow and possess Naruto that way! Using the Chakra Chains would be a big mistake!

Damn it, how can Naruto win this? Win this without being seriously hurt?

Just keep calm. Keep calm, Kushina. Keep your breathing level. You can't freak out here. Not in the stands.

I just want to cheer you on, Naruto, but I know this isn't the place to do it. If I say something, they'll just remove me from the room. I don't want that to happen. I want to see you fight, Naruto. You've learned so much. I want to see how strong you've become.

At the same time, I'm so afraid I _don't_ want to watch you. This could potentially become life and death! Shikamaru might decide to go for the kill if he thinks it's the only way to stop you! He's a smart young ninja, if he takes after his father! He'll be pragmatic and possibly quite brutal if he has to be.

No, no. Don't think about that. Just think about Naruto. Think about how he's gonna win. Just keep supporting him. Naruto has to know this. He has to know that I'm supporting him every step of the way, even if I can't express it.

Naruto makes hand signs with his free hand. "Wind Style! Wind Slash Technique!"

He slashes forward, a violent gust of air blasting towards Shikamaru. Shikamaru leaps to the side and lands on his feet, gasping for air as Naruto runs forward.

Naruto punches Shikamaru in the face and then attempts to cut him with his kunai but Shikamaru catches Naruto's hand.

Oh crap. Does that mean . . .?

Shikamaru smiles. "Gotcha."

Naruto responds by doing a spin kick in Shikamaru's side which knocks Shikamaru to the ground.

"Not done yet," Naruto says.

This is Naruto's own advantage. He's reacting quickly to every change in the battle. His skill at improvising is what will make him overcome Shikamaru's abilities. Shikamaru can plan and lure Naruto into traps, but Naruto decides what to do on the fly.

These are two incredibly different young ninja. They don't have much in common at all. Just by their attitudes it's almost a complete 180. Naruto jumps at the challenge no matter what it is, Shikamaru views every challenge pessimistically, says it will be "a drag". Which mindset is best, however?

Shikamaru gets to his knees and immediately sends his shadow after Naruto, and Naruto has to run. It's clear there's no real escape from that shadow, Naruto can't get far enough away to stay out of its reach unless he keeps moving. The arena's just too small.

No, no, I can't think that! Come on, Naruto! This guy's just standing still and chasing you all over the arena with his shadow. Try to use that against him!

Naruto's back is against the wall, and the shadow's starting to corner him. He immediately makes a few hand signs, hand signs I immediately recognize.

No. No, Naruto, don't do it! It's not gonna work!

"Chakra Chains Technique!" Three chains shoot out from my son and immediately shoot out towards Shikamaru, who just _smiles_. The kid isn't stupid, he knows that Naruto's made a big error.

The shadow immediately attaches itself to the chains and travels across the chains' shadow and attaches to Naruto's shadow right before the chains can reach Shikamaru. Immediately, the chains fall limp, and Naruto's staggering.

"Wait, what? What the heck?" Naruto cries. "There's no way!"

"I used the shadow of your Chakra Chains against you, Naruto," Shikamaru says. "I was prepared to take a hit to make it work, which would've been a drag. Good thing you were far enough away for the chains to not reach me first."

Naruto's locked right into Shikamaru's trap. I don't see any way for Naruto to get out of this, barring Shikamaru running out of chakra before he can knock Naruto out of the match!

"This isn't good," Mikoto says next to me, which are the exact words I don't need to hear right now. They just want me to shake her silly. "Shikamaru's got Naruto tied up. I think it's over."

It's not over! Not until the very end! It can't be over yet! Naruto, you can't be out of ideas yet, are you?

"How are ya gonna win like this?" Naruto shouts. "I saw how your technique works in the Forest of Death! You make people imitate your movements! Thing is, unless you think you're tougher than me, there's no way for you to beat me! I'll just hit you the same way you hit me!"

"I don't need to be tougher than you," Shikamaru says. "Just smarter."

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asks.

"Watch," Shikamaru says.

All of a sudden, Shikamaru's right hand goes for a kunai in his holster, and Naruto's hand immediately does the same. It's a perfect mirror image of each other, each of them holding the kunai the exact same way.

What's Shikamaru doing? How's this going to settle things? All I see is that there's going to be . . .

Wait. Wait. I know what Shikamaru's going to do!

Oh no. No, no, no. Hayate's gotta stop the match. He's gotta stop the-

"Kushina, sit down!" I feel Mikoto grabbing me and forcing me back down into my seat. I must've already have gotten up to try to stop the match without even realizing it.

"Mikoto, you don't understand!" I have to get down there! I have to stop the match! What Shikamaru is going to do . . . I can't let it happen! Not to my son!

They have their kunai in the motion to throw. Naruto's eyes are widened, but he doesn't realize Shikamaru's ultimate plan here. He just sees the obvious in front of him. "Are you crazy? We're both gonna get hurt this way, if not killed!"

"You've always had a head full of rocks, Naruto," Shikamaru replies. "You just don't see it coming. What a drag for you."

"What are you, hey, wait! Stop!" Naruto and Shikamaru both suddenly throw their kunai at each other at the same time, both throwing blades aimed right at their heads.

It's too late. Even if I try to stop the match now, there's . . .

Oh no.

I don't want to watch.

The blades are about to slice open their necks-

Shikamaru ducks by leaning backwards in a quick, jerky motion. Naruto, locked in Shikamaru's movements, does the same . . .

Right into the wall.

All I hear is a grunt from my child and he's on the ground, motionless, an impact on the wall with blood trailing down to where my son has collapsed. The Chakra Chains immediately vanish from existence, like they were never summoned at all.

There's an audible gasp from everyone around me. Even Mikoto is shocked. "Damn, that was ferocious."

My child. My son. He's just _lying_ there. Oh my God.

Shikamaru, that little brat, he's just brushing himself off. "Damn, that was a drag. I got hit more than I expected."

I'll show you a _drag_ you heartless little brat! I'll drag you into hell!

"Kushina, sit _down_!" I feel more than just Mikoto grabbing me at this point. Feels like half the crowd is trying to keep me here.

I don't care! It doesn't matter anymore! My child's lying on the ground! He's lucky if he just has a concussion! It's gotta be worse than that! We're talking brain damage here from what Shikamaru did to him! A burst blood vessel in his brain! A skull fracture! Maybe he's even dead!

Why won't you people let go of me!?

Naruto, I'm coming! I'll be right there! I'm sorry! I'm sorry I couldn't-

Hayate is walking over to Shikamaru. "This match is over! Shikamaru Nara is-"

"It's . . . not over."

That voice! There's no way! It can't be!

Naruto . . . his body's _moving_.

My son. He's getting up! He's actually getting up! How'd he take such a vicious hit like that and still get up?

There's blood pouring down his face. His head must have been split open somewhere on the top of his head.

My poor baby. He's . . . he's really hurt. He can't be seriously-

"Step away from Shikamaru," Naruto growls. "I'm not done with him yet."

"You sure?" Hayate looks every bit as stunned as the rest of us.

"I'm sure," Naruto replies.

Hayate just nods in this numb, limp way. "Um . . . all right."

Hayate backs away from Shikamaru, whose eyes are so wide I can see the whites of his eyes from here. Shikamaru's voice is absolutely shaken. "There's .. . . there's no way. How can you get up from that?"

"Remember you said I had a head full of rocks?" Naruto asks. I can see him trying to smile in his usual determined way. "I guess that saved me there. My head is just too tough for ya."

The blood is spilling all over his clothes. He's bleeding _really_ bad. Nothing but adrenaline has to be sustaining him at this point.

I have a feeling he's in great pain and he's refusing to show it. I've felt pain like that. It's enough to make me nearly black out, and that's after taking enough hits like that that I've gotten _used_ to that kind of pain. How can Naruto tolerate such pain? How can he work through it?

Naruto makes the hand signs for the Chakra Chains. "You're fighting the future Hokage! The Hokage has to be the toughest ninja in the village! I'm going to be tougher than all of you! Believe it!"

My son is wobbling. The pain's clearly affecting him, he must be getting dizzy, exhausted, has a horrible headache. I just want to head out there and stop this match and try to heal him! Naruto should just stop! He's going to kill himself over this! "Chakra Chains Technique!"

Two chains shoot out and the ends hook themselves into the wall, with Shikamaru caught in the middle.

Shikamaru's exhausted. He's drained. He's not summoning his shadow to stop this. "What're you planning? There's no way it's gonna work!"

Naruto backs up to the wall, like he's going to slingshot himself at Shikamaru. "Oh yes it is. It'll work 'cause I'll _make_ it work!"

And . . .

He's flinging himself at Shikamaru just like he's ammunition from a slingshot.

His right fist aimed for Shikamaru's face.

Shikamaru's trying to duck but Naruto just changes positions in mid-air, aiming for a kick instead.

And he kicks Shikamaru _hard_.

Driving them into the opposite wall, Shikamaru crying out in pain.

Naruto takes his right fist and uppercuts Shikamaru in the jaw, and Shikamaru's head bounces off the back wall.

Shikamaru collapses onto the ground face-first, Naruto places both of his hands against the wall as the Chakra Chains vanish from existence, breathing heavily.

Shikamaru doesn't move.

Shikamaru's not moving.

Naruto's still upright.

Did . . . did my brave, foolish, amazing, bleeding, exhausted child just . . . did he just . . .?

No. Shikamaru's moving. He's groaning on the ground.

"Damn it . . . you just don't know when to quit . . . you really _do_ have rocks for brains . . . " Shikamaru groans.

He rolls himself onto his back. "I . . . I give up. I ain't gonna win. I'm drained. What a drag."

Hayate nods. "That, uh, decides it. Shikamaru Nara surrenders, Naruto Uzumaki is the winner of the extra round."

I . . . I can't believe it. How did . . . how did Naruto do that? How could he just . . .

He's trying to turn towards the crowd. He has to be looking for me. He looking for me, wondering if . . .

He's looking right at me, smiling.

And now he's . . . he's . . .

No. No, I won't let you fall on the concrete! I won't let you fall!

No one better stop me this time!

Naruto, Naruto, I'm coming! Just stay upright for five seconds! Give me five seconds! I'll be right there!

Damn it, I almost lost my balance! I can't do that! It doesn't matter than I'm jumping down an entire story! I can't falter! Not now!

Naruto's wobbling, his knees are shaking, I can hear him groaning and moaning above the din of everyone else gasping and commenting over what they just saw.

I can see the blood all over his face, it's covering so much of it, staining his clothes, and his hair.

My poor child.

He's falling forward. No, no, I have to make it there! I have to!

I promised I would catch you if you fall! I'm not breaking that promise, either to you or myself!

Come on! Come on!

I'm not going to make it! I'm not going to-

Anko!

Oh, thank the heavens.

I forgot completely about Anko. What a relief. She caught him instead. She's got his limp body wrapped up in her arms, supporting him with just her own strength.

"I gotcha," Anko is saying softly. "I gotcha, bro."

"I feel dizzy," Naruto moans.

"No kidding," Anko replies. "I can't believe you just did that."

Naruto just chuckles softly.

Okay. I can calm down. I can calm down, at least try my best to. My child's okay.

No, no wait. He's not. The blood everywhere! I have to-

"Anko." I'm amazed my voice isn't trembling. "Please, let me see him."

"Kushina?" Anko looks shocked for a second, and then she relaxes. "Oh, right."

Anko turns just a little so I can have a better look at my son. Despite his obvious pain and bad injury, I can see him smiling in this dazed yet victorious way despite his face being buried in Anko's shoulder. "Mom? Did . . . did you see that?"

Before I even realize it I'm right on top of them and my hand's stroking the bottom of his cheek. "Y-Yeah. I saw. You . . . you did great, Naruto."

That dazed little smile shows teeth. "That's . . . that's right."

I see the medical-nin running up to us. "Please, let us handle him," one of them say. They're bringing a stretcher, which is honestly what Naruto needs at this point.

"I . . . I don't need a stretcher," Naruto says, but it's clear he's too weak to stand. His attempt to separate from Anko makes him fall backwards and Anko has to catch him again.

"Please. You've done enough," Anko says. "Don't scare us anymore. There's no shame in this. You've shown how tough you are."

"O-Okay . . ." Naruto moans.

The medical-nin load Naruto onto the stretcher gently and quickly begin taking him away. I'm about to follow them when Anko grabs my shoulder. "Kushina, we need to stay."

"What? Why?" That doesn't make any sense! That's my _son_ being carted off the arena! Why should I-

"Kushina, look at the scoreboard."

"Why?" I turn, and then I see why.

_Neji Hyuga._

_Vs._

_Hinata Hyuga._

They're wasting no time getting Hinata's battle out of the way. But why against a member of her own clan? Why make her fight at all when she's in so much pain?

"Kushina, I think this fight's gonna get ugly," Anko says. "I need you here until it's over. It'll make me feel a lot better, you know?"

I don't want to admit this, but Anko's right. There's so many ways this fight could get ugly. I'm perhaps the strongest ninja in this room, at least with defensive techniques. Neji Hyuga has some nasty rumors about him, and Hinata . . .

This fight could make Naruto and Shikamaru seem tame.

I feel like a hypocrite now. The entire second round, I was lecturing Mikoto about her responsibilities and how she needs to block out her personal concerns. I was about to do the same thing Mikoto nearly did, just go off and follow my own personal concerns. Naruto's not going to die, not with the medical-nin going to prompt work on him. I don't know if Naruto can win his second fight with such an injury, even with prompt healing, but Naruto's not going to die.

"I'll . . . I'll stay. At least for this one. But then I'm going to see my child."

"I know." Anko gives me a sad smile. "I wish I could see him too. But I have Hinata and Sasuke to worry about too. I need to stay here for them."

And she's right about that. Hinata and Sasuke deserve her presence, just as much as Naruto does. She's their sensei too. Her special relationship with Naruto aside, Anko needs to treat her genin equally. That means she needs to provide moral support for them.

"All right." Take a deep breath, Kushina. Take a deep breath. Take a deep breath, and don't let the tears fall from your eyes. A few minutes. That's all you need to do here, and then you can see Naruto. Just a few minutes.

"I'm going to give Hinata some instructions and support," Anko says. "Go back to the stands, but be ready to jump in."

"I will." Another deep breath. Another deep breath. Re-focus.

"This sucks," Shikamaru says all of a sudden. He's staggering to his feet right now, covered in dirt and scrapes.

"I miscalculated," Shikamaru says. "I thought that Naruto was gonna stand up forever. I didn't know he was so close to collapse. I shouldn't have given up so quickly."

Anko just chuckles as she begins turning to walk away. "You didn't miscalculate. There was no way Naruto was gonna collapse until the fight was declared over. It's only when the fight was declared over that Naruto realized he could collapse."

"What is it?" Shikamaru asks. "What is it that Naruto has?"

"It's called the will to win," Anko says, and with that she makes a chakra-enhanced jump to where Sasuke and Hinata are still standing. Clearly both genin wanted to jump down here to check on Naruto but Anko had told them to stay still. I can see it on their faces.

"The will to win?" Shikamaru asks, apparently to no one in particular.

"Yeah. That will is what's going to make my son the Hokage someday. Count on it."

I'm half-surprised I said anything to Shikamaru at all, considering what he did to my child.

Then again, I'm sure a lot of people will justify it. Shikamaru did what he thought would guarantee him victory. And perhaps against everyone else in this room, the strategy would've worked. But it didn't work on Naruto.

Nobody would've made it this far if they didn't have the will to win. But Naruto's will is the strongest of them all. That's why he won there. He won through sheer determination.

I return to the stands, where everyone is _staring_ at me. Mikoto asks "Kushina, I thought you were . . ."

"Anko asked me to stay for this match. I said yes," I reply, and I sit down.

There's nothing I want to do more than to follow Naruto and try to help him the best I can.

But I need to stay here. Just for this fight.

I fold my hands so they won't shake, and I stare at the battleground, where both Neji and Hinata are approaching the middle of the arena.

I need to hold on until this match is over. That's what I have to do. Just hold on.

I'll be able to see Naruto soon enough.

I just need to make it through this match.

Just this match.

Just this one simple little match . . .

* * *

Yeah, the next match isn't going to end well. Not exactly a spoiler.


End file.
